Norway’s striker Erling Haaland described his side's historic 2-1 victory over five-time champions Brazil in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 as "the biggest by far" after scoring both goals to send his country into the quarter-finals for the first time in its history.
The landmark victory marked Norway's deepest-ever run at a FIFA World Cup, with Haaland playing the decisive role by netting a late brace to eliminate one of the tournament favourites.
In a video shared by the Norwegian national football team on X, the Manchester City striker admitted he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the achievement and struggled to find words to describe the occasion.
"This is clearly the biggest by far, without a doubt; it's completely insane, I can't even comprehend it myself. Insane, I'm out of words. Not much to say, it's completely insane. You just have to pinch your arm; it's completely insane. It's hard to put words to it," Haaland said.
With the victory, Norway booked a quarter-final showdown against England, which is scheduled to be played in Miami on July 11. Reflecting on the mindset heading into the knockout clash, Haaland said Norway entered the match with no pressure, believing that everything beyond the Round of 16 was a bonus. He credited the team for staying relaxed, enjoying the occasion and taking advantage of the pressure weighing on Brazil.
"I said before this match, everything from here on is a bonus, shoulders down and enjoy it, just like we did today. You could feel it today; the pressure was on them. We just played. It would be a party either way, win or lose, and we managed to win, so we'll just enjoy and savour the moment. I mean, this is a journey we'll remember forever," Haaland said.
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken also hailed the victory, saying he was delighted for the players, coaching staff and supporters across the country who had eagerly awaited the high-profile encounter.
In another video posted by the Norwegian national football team on X, Solbakken said the enormous anticipation surrounding the match had been rewarded with a memorable performance and result, giving the entire nation something special to celebrate.
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"I'm very happy on behalf of the players, the support staff, all of Norway, everyone who followed this game. It's been a massive, massive buildup to this match, and it's very rare that it delivers to such an extent, so everyone can experience this together across Norway. Now they can take a week to look forward to the next game, so that will be... no, it's fantastic, and it's a bit of an absurd feeling, actually," Solbakken said.
At the New York/New Jersey Stadium, Brazil controlled large periods of the contest and created several scoring opportunities, but failed to convert their dominance into goals. The five-time world champions also squandered a first-half penalty, while Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland produced a series of crucial saves to keep his side in the game.
Haaland then delivered when it mattered most, scoring twice late in the match to stun Brazil and secure one of the biggest victories in Norwegian football history. Brazil managed to pull one goal back through Neymar, who converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it proved only a consolation as Norway held on to complete a famous upset.
Norway will now turn its attention to a quarter-final clash against England after the Three Lions secured their place in the last eight with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico in their own Round of 16 encounter.
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