FOOTBALL – ERLING Haaland powered in a 79th-minute header and added a second in the 90th minute as Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal at the expense of the five-time champions.
Kept under wraps for most of the round of 16 fixture, Haaland’s sixth and seventh goals of the tournament sent Brazil to their earliest exit since being eliminated in the round of 16 in 1990. He’s now tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe for the tournament lead.
Norway’s Orjan Nyland made four stops, including a diving denial of Bruno Guimaraes’ 14th-minute penalty kick. The 34-year-old Neymar converted a second late spot kick deep in second-half stoppage time for Brazil in what could be his final World Cup appearance.
Norway will now face the winner of Sunday’s later match between Mexico and England in a quarterfinal in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The result maintained one of the all-time World Cup oddities, the Nordic nation’s perfect 2-0-0 record against the Selecao in the competition. The other victory in 1998, a 2-1 Norway triumph, came in a group-stage finale after Brazil had already secured passage to the knockout phase.
Haaland’s first came after an extended stretch in which Carlo Ancelotti’s side looked more likely to score.
Just seconds after coming into the match, the 19-year-old Endrick missed Brazil’s best chance of the afternoon, getting his footing all wrong and firing wide after reaching Vinicius Junior’s excellent throughball in the 59th minute.
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