Haaland double sinks Brazil 2-1, sends Norway to first World Cup quarterfinal and ends Ancelotti's run

Haaland's late double sinks Brazil

Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup round of 16 at MetLife Stadium in New York, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals in the final 11 minutes of regular time. The Manchester City striker headed in a cross from Andreas Schjelderup in the 79th minute and then fired a left-footed shot from the edge of the area in the 90th minute to seal the victory. Neymar converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it was too late to rescue Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Early drama: disallowed goal and saved penalty

The match began with a disallowed goal for Norway after only three minutes, when Patrick Berg's finish was ruled offside. Brazil were awarded a penalty in the 11th minute after a VAR review of a foul by Kristoffer Ajer on Matheus Cunha, but Bruno Guimaraes saw his spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. Nyland also denied Gabriel Martinelli and later made a crucial save to prevent an own goal. Brazil's Endrick missed a clear chance early in the second half, shooting wide after being set up by Vinícius Júnior.

1. 3'Berg goal disallowed for offside
2. 11'Guimaraes penalty saved by Nyland
3. 79'Haaland heads in Schjelderup cross (1-0)
4. 90'Haaland scores from edge of area (2-0)
5. 90+7'Neymar converts penalty (2-1)

Ancelotti's Brazil falls short

Ancelotti, the first foreign coach to lead Brazil at a World Cup, had been widely praised for bringing calm to the Seleção. Before the match, Endrick said of him:

It seems God has blessed him.

But Brazil's exit equals their worst World Cup performance in 40 years, matching the round-of-16 elimination at Italia '90. The team never recovered from Haaland's late burst, and Ancelotti's tournament ends in disappointment.

Norway's first quarterfinal

Norway reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. They will face the winner of the Mexico-England match on Saturday at 23:00 local time. Haaland's double took his tournament tally to seven goals, and his physical dominance was foreshadowed by his club record against Brazil's defenders: he had previously scored eight goals against Casemiro, six against Gabriel Magalhães, and three against Marquinhos.

Casemiro

8

Gabriel Magalhães

6

Marquinhos

3

Casemiro

8 goals

Gabriel Magalhães

6 goals

Marquinhos

3 goals

The Ancelotti aura meets reality

Ancelotti had spoken before the match about his vast experience:

I've prepared over 1,400 matches, it may not be enough to understand football, but it's certainly good experience.

The defeat also extended Brazil's curse against European nations: they have not eliminated a European team at the World Cup since the 2002 final. Norway, meanwhile, remain unbeaten against Brazil in four meetings.