Iraq 1-4 Norway: Erling Haaland debut brace seals winning World Cup return
Erling Haaland announced his arrival on the World Cup stage in typically ruthless fashion, scoring twice as Norway marked their 28-year tournament absence with a chaotic 4-1 victory over a courageous Iraq side in Boston.
The Manchester City talisman struck either side of an historic Aymen Hussein equaliser in a frantic first half, before substitute Leo Ostigard and a late Hussein own goal put a highly deceptive gloss on the scoreline for Stale Solbakken’s side.
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While the eventual margins looked commanding at the Gillette Stadium, the dark horses of Group I were pushed to their absolute limits by an energetic, attack-minded Iraq outfit making their first appearance at the global finals since 1986.
An predictably tense opening was broken in the 29th minute through a magnificent, sweeping team move. Swapping 14 crisp passes from their own penalty area, Norway carved open the left flank, allowing David Moller Wolfe to drill a low cross to the back post where Haaland slithered in to poke home his first-ever World Cup goal.
Yet the Asian nation refused to fold, orchestrating a superb period of sustained pressure that yielded a deserved equaliser ten minutes later. Amir Al-Ammari drifted a delightful, floating delivery into the heart of the box, and veteran forward Hussein outjumped Torbjorn Heggem to guide a magnificent header beyond Orjan Nyland.
With the vocal Iraqi support sensing an historic upset, a catastrophic defensive blunder completely sapped the underdogs’ momentum two minutes before the interval. Under minimal pressure, goalkeeper Jalal Hassan took an agonizingly slow touch on a routine backpass, allowing the hyper-aggressive Haaland to charge down his attempted clearance and watch the ball bounce off his knee into an empty net.
Jesus Casas’ side response was admirable, pinning the Scandinavians back for large swaths of the second half. Only a vital, last-gasp block from Wolfe prevented Ibrahim Bayesh from converting a point-blank volley, before Akam Hashim saw a venomous, long-range drive shave the top of the crossbar.
Ultimately, Norway’s superior height and set-piece prowess proved the difference. Having failed to heed earlier warning signs from corners, the Iraqi backline left Ostigard completely unmarked just three minutes after his introduction, allowing the defender to thunder Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s corner past Hassan.
Frustration crept in for Iraq late on as Zaid Tahseen picked up a yellow card, before deep into six minutes of stoppage time, Hussein’s afternoon ended in heartbreak. Challenging for a looping Haaland header from a deep free-kick, the forward inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net to seal an opening three points for a relieved Norway ahead of a heavyweight showdown with France.
