Norway waited 28 years to return to the World Cup. Erling Haaland needed just 29 minutes to announce his arrival.
The Manchester City striker scored twice on his World Cup debut as Norway opened their Group I campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Iraq in Boston. The result put Ståle Solbakken’s side level on points with France and immediately underlined their ambitions of reaching the knockout stages.
For Haaland, this was another chapter in a remarkable international scoring streak. The 25-year-old has now scored in 11 consecutive competitive matches for Norway and became the first Norwegian player to score multiple goals on his World Cup debut.
Yet the scoreline does not tell the whole story.
Iraq, appearing at their first World Cup in 40 years, arrived as underdogs but refused to play like one. They created the better openings early on and looked comfortable against a Norway side featuring stars such as Martin Ødegaard, Alexander Sørloth and Haaland.
Their resistance was finally broken when David Møller Wolfe surged down the left and delivered a low cross that Haaland converted from close range. It was a classic striker’s finish, simple, sharp and ruthless.
The Iraqis responded brilliantly.
Aymen Hussein, the hero of their qualification campaign, powered home a header from Amir Al-Ammari’s cross to level the contest. For a few moments, the large Iraqi contingent inside Boston Stadium dared to dream of a famous result.
That hope was quickly crushed by an unfortunate mistake. Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan hesitated over a routine back pass and saw his clearance cannon off Haaland and into the net. The striker’s second goal was scrappy, but it highlighted the relentless pressure that elite forwards apply.
Even then, Iraq continued to threaten. Ali Al Hamadi, Ibrahim Bayesh and Akam Hashim all came close before the break, exposing moments of vulnerability in the Norwegian defence.
The game finally slipped away in the closing stages. Leo Østigård powered home a header from an Ødegaard corner before Hussein inadvertently turned Haaland’s late cross into his own net.
Norway’s 4-1 victory looked dominant on paper, and their superior quality eventually showed. However, Solbakken will know tougher tests lie ahead against Senegal and France.
