Manchester City star Erling Haaland made history on his FIFA World Cup debut, becoming the first men’s player to score a multi-goal match for Norway at the tournament after netting twice in the opening 43 minutes against Iraq, according to ESPN Insights on X.
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Norway’s Victory
Haaland’s brilliant start set the tone as Norway registered a commanding 4-1 victory, marking their first win on the World Cup stage in 28 years. With this win, Norway climbed to first in their Group I, while France, who secured a convincing 3-1 win over Senegal earlier today, dropped to second place.
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Match Highlights
Iraq started brightly and created better early chances, with Aymen Hussein heading over from close range before Ali Al Hamadi sent a shot high from distance.
Norway took the lead in the 29th minute when Haaland was perfectly placed at the back post to finish a low cross from David Moller Wolfe. The Iraqi side responded 10 minutes later as Hussein powered in a header from Amir Al Ammari’s delivery. Norway regained the advantage before half-time when Haaland pressed goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, forcing a mistake that resulted in the ball going into the net.
Despite Iraq missing several chances to level the score before the break, Norway held firm going into half-time.
Second Half Action
The second half saw fewer clear opportunities, but Norway extended their lead in the 76th minute when Ostigard headed in from a corner following Kristian Thorstvedt’s effort.
Haaland nearly completed his hat-trick late on after intercepting a poor back pass, but Hassan made a quick save to deny him. Still, the Norwegian striker played a role in the final goal as his late header led to an unfortunate own goal by Hussein deep into stoppage time.
