2026 World Cup: Haaland Brings Brazil to Tears; Norway Advances to the Quarterfinals

A major upset in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup: Norway knocks out Brazil with a stunning 2-1 victory and advances to the quarterfinals. In the first half, after a goal by the Scandinavians was correctly disallowed for offside, the Seleção earned a penalty kick in the 12th minute thanks to Matheus Cunha, but Bruno Guimarães was fooled by Nyland, who kept the score level.

The match remained deadlocked in the second half as well, with Brazil coming close to taking the lead but thwarted by decisive saves from the Norwegian goalkeeper and a golden opportunity squandered by Endrick around the hour mark.

The turning point came in the 80th minute: Erling Haaland scored the go-ahead goal with a header off a set piece. In the 89th minute, Haaland himself doubled the lead with a powerful shot from outside the box, effectively sealing the match. In stoppage time, at the 99-minute mark, Neymar Jr. (who had come on as a substitute) converted a penalty to narrow the gap, but it wasn’t enough to avoid elimination.

It was a crushing exit for Brazil and its head coach Carlo Ancelotti, while Norway celebrated a historic advancement to the quarterfinals, where it will face the winner of the Mexico-England match.