Erling Haaland marks World Cup debut with two goals as Norway beats Iraq 4-1

Erling Haaland, who has conquered every stage he has graced, has now added a World Cup debut to his list of achievements. On Tuesday, he scored twice to lead Norway to a 4-1 win over Iraq in their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998. Haaland's goals ended Norway's 10,220-day drought in the tournament, with the last goal scored 759 days before he was born.

Haaland opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark, sliding in to convert David Moller Wolfe's teasing cross from the left. After Iraq briefly equalized through a towering header from Aymen Hussein, Haaland restored Norway's lead by capitalizing on a goalkeeping error. Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan dallied on a backpass, and Haaland charged down the clearance, sending the ball into the net. He was denied a hat-trick by a block from Jalal later, and a looping header in stoppage time was bundled over the line by Hussein, giving Norway a 4-1 win.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken praised Haaland's mentality: “You can see he lived up to the occasion – it wasn't too big for him. I had a good feeling before the game; the last training session was very good. I had a feeling he would do it for us today.”

Iraq head coach Graham Arnold added: “He's just an amazing number nine. We dealt with him quite well for a lot of the game, but at the end of the day he's a top striker. Norway could shock a lot of people with the team they have.”

Haaland now has 57 goals in 51 international appearances – a ratio that is the third-best among players with at least 50 international goals, behind only Vivian Woodward and Poul Nielsen. Former England striker Ellen White commented: “The quality and physicality round the box from Haaland was on another level. He wants to be top goalscorer in this tournament.” Former Wales defender Ashley Williams added: “What impressed me was his desire. He took on a leadership role, driving the team forward. It wasn't just his finishing – it was an all-round good performance.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappe had also scored twice as France beat Senegal 3-1, becoming France's all-time leading scorer. The two stars are setting the tone for the tournament.