Brazil and Norway meet in World Cup last 16 as Vinicius and Haaland duel for quarter-final spot
Brazil and Norway meet in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday, with Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland carrying their teams' hopes in a single-elimination clash at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
The stakes
Brazil, five-time champion, faces Norway in a single-elimination round of 16 match. The winner advances to the quarter-finals; the loser goes home. Brazil is the favourite but has not been at its best, while Norway has one of its strongest squads ever and arrives with confidence after a late win over Ivory Coast.
Solbakken's rallying cry
After Norway's victory over Ivory Coast, coach Ståle Solbakken shouted "Carlo Ancelotti, we're coming for you!" in the dressing room. He later clarified it was not a provocation.
It is as far as possible from being a provocation. Ancelotti is perhaps the best coach in the history of European football. I have the utmost respect for him. He is a great person and has a great sense of humour.
Brazil is the favourite, of course. But we don't play for fun, we play to win.
Vinicius carrying Brazil
Vinicius Junior has scored four of Brazil's nine goals in the tournament, adding one assist. With Raphinha injured and Neymar lacking fitness, the Real Madrid forward has taken on the scoring burden. Ancelotti has instructed him to stay in the final 30 metres and avoid dropping deep. Romario, previously critical of Vinicius's international output, retracted his words after the group stage.
In football we speak with numbers. He is about to reach 50 matches and doesn't even have 10 goals. So you can't expect too much.
I want to retract those words and congratulate Vinicius because he made me swallow my words.
Haaland's clinical edge
Erling Haaland has five goals in four matches, including doubles against Iraq and Senegal and the decisive strike against Ivory Coast. Norway's first World Cup appearance in 28 years has been defined by Haaland's efficiency: he has scored from 14 shots, compared to Vinicius's four goals from 15 attempts. The Manchester City striker rarely gets involved outside the box, but when the ball arrives, he executes.
- Goals (Vinicius)
- 4
- Goals (Haaland)
- 5
- Shots (Vinicius)
- 15
- Shots (Haaland)
- 14
- Touches in box (Vinicius)
- 35
- Touches in box (Haaland)
- 21
The duel
The match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, kicks off at 22:00 Spanish time. It is the first World Cup meeting between the sides since 1998, when Norway won 2-1 in the group stage. This time, only one of the two young stars (born nine days apart in July 2000) will remain in the tournament.
