Erling Haaland made his World Cup debut overnight, as Norway returned to the tournament for the first time since 1998 and beat Iraq after a first-half brace from the 25-year-old striker. He scored his first in the 29th minute from close range, then punished a major error by Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan less than 15 minutes later to make it 2-1.
International media hailed the performance. Fox Sports wrote that "the World Cup waited for Haaland," while Bleacher Report said, "you can't stop him." Norwegian coverage was even more effusive, saying it was great to be back on the world's biggest stage and that Haaland will "punish you for everything" because it is impossible to make mistakes against him.
The article noted that Haaland became the first player since Gerd Muller in 1974 to score 57 or more goals in his first 51 appearances for a national team. In the first half alone, he registered only two accurate passes, both of which ended in goals.
Haaland also moved past Samuel Eto'o and Gabriel Batistuta on their national-team scoring lists, with both legends stuck on 56 international goals. Norway's best World Cup finish remains the round of 16, reached in 1938 and again 28 years ago, in their previous appearance.
