Sports

Erling Haaland Scores First World Cup Goals in Norway Victory

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
5 min read
Erling Haaland Scores First World Cup Goals in Norway Victory

Erling Haaland scored his first World Cup goals. Norway beat Iraq four to one on Tuesday in their very first game at a major tournament in twenty-six years. It happened fast.

He turned in from close range for the lead around the twenty-ninth minute in Boston. But Aymen Hussein got level with a header. Just like that.

Haaland pounced on an error at the back again before half-time. He took his tally to fifty-seven international goals in just fifty-one matches. That’s what he does.

Then Leo Ostigard headed in for Norway, coming off the bench. Wrapping up the victory effectively. And then there was a fourth goal, deep into stoppage time. A Hussein own goal. Just noise at the end.

The win meant Norway topped Group I on goal difference. They were level with France on three points after Les Bleus beat Senegal earlier in the day. Next up? New Jersey on June twenty-second against those African powerhouses.

Iraq, though… they had a rough run getting here. No team faced that kind of road more perilous than them. Forty-eight and final qualifiers. Twenty-one matches stretching across eight hundred sixty-seven days just to get there.

Hussein, who scored the play-off winner against Bolivia, got held up by US immigration officials for hours after arriving with the squad ahead of Iraq’s first World Cup since eighteen eighty-six. Just waiting around. Questioned.

Norway hadn't played at this tournament since nineteen ninety-eight. Back then, coach Stale Solbakken was on the team that famously beat Brazil before getting knocked out in the last sixteen. Remember Euro two thousand? That was another time.

They breezed through qualifying. Twice they crushed Italy. Now they just want a golden generation. Haaland and Martin Odegaard leading the charge. Hoping to break something new in North America.

Solbakken predicted Haaland would make a "very big impact" at his first major finals. And yeah, he delivered that promise.

Antonio Nusa’s trickery was a real issue for Iraq. That incisive pass opened up space. David Moller Wolfe got clear. Then Haaland stretched out and steered in the low cross from the left.

Iraq didn't let that derail them though. They equalized ten minutes later, even after losing all their group games previously. They just kept fighting.

Amir Al-Ammari found a spot inside the area. Clipped in a cross. Hussein rose brilliantly to power a header past Orjan Nyland. That was another one for Norway.

But Iraq gifted Haaland his second goal of the contest. They just let it happen.

Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, he was slow. He didn't react right away to a softly-hit backpass. The clearance smacked off Haaland’s shin and ricocheted straight into the net. A messy finish there.

Iraq responded again. Ibrahim Bayesh got blocked out. Ali Al-Hamadi tried to dribble wide. Akam Hashim then lashed out with a spectacular volley that just kissed the bar. Pure noise.

Ostigard nodded in Odegaard's corner at seventy-six minutes, sealing those points for Norway. Then Haaland was thwarted by Hassan when another loose pass sent him clean through. Seeking that hat-trick. It kept happening.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

#sensational#sports#global#trending

More from Sports

View All

Latest Headlines