Haaland Announces World Cup Presence With Brace As Norway Demolish Iraq

Norway’s Erling Haaland marked his long-awaited World Cup debut with two goals, inspiring his country to a commanding 4-1 victory over Iraq.

The 25-year-old has now scored on every major competitive debut of his career, continuing a remarkable pattern that has defined his rise to the top of the game.

Haaland netted a hat-trick on his Champions League debut for RB Salzburg, repeated the feat on his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund, and scored twice on his Premier League debut for Manchester City.

Tuesday’s performance arrived just a day after Kylian Mbappe inspired France to a 3-1 win over Senegal, scoring twice to become Les Bleus’ all-time leading scorer.

Haaland responded emphatically, picking up the gauntlet thrown by Mbappe with a display full of desire that went well beyond the goals he produced.

Despite managing just 11 touches in the first half, fewer than any other player on the pitch, his impact was undeniable from the opening exchanges.

He broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark, sliding in to stab home David Moller Wolfe’s teasing cross from the left to score Norway’s first World Cup finals goal in 10,220 days.

Iraq briefly levelled through a towering Aymen Hussein header, but Haaland restored Norway’s lead by charging an attempted clearance from keeper Jalal Hassan into the net after relentlessly chasing down a backpass.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken was full of praise for his striker, saying: “You can see he lived up to the occasion – it wasn’t too big for him. I had a good feeling before the game, the last training session was very good. I had a feeling he would do it for us today.”

Iraq head coach Graham Arnold was equally effusive, revealing a touchline exchange with Haaland after the final whistle and saying: “I just said to him: ‘You’re one of the best number nines I’ve ever seen.’ He’s so strong, so quick and he’s just lethal.”

Arnold also offered a wider warning to the rest of the tournament’s competing nations, adding: “Norway could shock a lot of people with the team they have. They could go a very long way.”

Former England striker Ellen White, speaking on BBC One, highlighted the physical and technical quality Haaland brought to the occasion, saying: “The quality and physicality round the box from Haaland was on another level. He wants to be top goalscorer in this tournament.”

Former Wales defender Ashley Williams was struck by a different dimension to Haaland’s display, noting the pressing and defensive contributions that are not always associated with the striker at club level.

Williams said: “I would argue that he did more today for Norway than we see him do for Man City. If there is a criticism, sometimes he is a bit quiet for Man City. Today he took on a leadership role, he was driving the team forward.”

Haaland now has 57 goals in 51 appearances for Norway, a goals-per-game ratio that surpasses the records of all-time greats Gerd Muller and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis.

His ratio is in fact the third best of any player to have scored at least 50 international goals, behind only England’s Vivian Woodward and Denmark’s Poul Nielsen.

BBC co-commentator Stephen Warnock captured the mood perfectly when the opening goal went in, saying: “One thing you know is that guy Haaland will find it, he will do everything he can to get on the end of it. It just had to be him.”

Warnock also looked ahead to Norway’s prospects in the wider tournament, adding: “He could be the difference maker as to how far Norway go in this competition.”

Haaland becomes the sixth player to score twice in their opening game at this World Cup, with the tournament now firmly having its standout individual story to follow in the weeks ahead.

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