Norway beat Brazil 2-1 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday night to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the country's history. Erling Haaland headed home in the 79th minute then fired from outside the box in the 90th to eliminate a Brazilian side that has not exited this early in the tournament in more than three decades.

Neymar pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 90th+10th minute, but it was a consolation in front of 80,663 spectators. The defeat ends Carlo Ancelotti's tenure as the Selecao's first foreign head coach without surviving the knockout round.

How did Haaland decide the match?

Both of Haaland's goals came in the second half as Brazil pushed forward and left space behind. He converted a header in the 79th minute, then drove a long-range effort in at the 90th.

"That's usually how it works. If I get one or two chances, it usually ends in goals. I don't know how I do it, but that's just how I do it, so the point is to stay focused," Haaland said after the final whistle.

The Manchester City striker now has seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the top of the scoring charts. The brace made him the first Norwegian to score twice in a single knockout-stage match at a major tournament. He had already scored in 14 consecutive competitive international matches, netting 27 goals across that run.

Brazil had a chance to take the lead early. Bruno Guimarães's penalty in the 14th minute was saved by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, and the opportunity came to nothing.

Ancelotti saw no need for an anti-Haaland plan

The day before the match, Ancelotti was asked how he planned to stop Haaland. His answer was brief.

"I don't think that there is such a thing as an 'anti-Haaland' plan. I don't need to tell my players how to defend, they have faced each other a few times," the Italian coach said at the pre-match news conference.

Haaland scored twice. Ancelotti's experiment as Brazil's first foreign coach, which had already drawn questions about his tactics and uncertainty over Neymar's role before the tournament, ended in the round of 16. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken, for his part, called Ancelotti one of the greatest coaches in European football, citing his five Champions League titles and trophies across multiple countries. The compliment did not stop Solbakken from winning.

28 years away, a pattern repeats

The victory at MetLife echoed an old result. In official matches, Norway have never lost to Brazil, including a 2-1 win at the 1998 World Cup group stage, the last time Norway appeared at the tournament before 2026. The same scoreline, 28 years later, with far greater consequences.

After 28 years away from the World Cup, Norway returned and immediately surpassed their best-ever result. The quarterfinals are territory the national program has never reached before.

"We keep going, but I hope all the young people watching this interview, I hope that when you are a little older, you will see playing for Norway as the proudest thing[...]," Haaland said.

For viewers in Indonesia, all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup are broadcast free on TVRI, the national public broadcaster. Knockout-round matches consistently fall in the early morning hours due to the time difference with the United States.

Norway vs England and the Golden Boot race

In the quarterfinals, Norway face England on Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Miami. England advanced after beating host nation Mexico 3-2 at Estadio Azteca, with two goals from Jude Bellingham and a Harry Kane penalty.

With seven goals, Haaland is level with Messi and Mbappe. How far Norway go will determine whether he can overtake them. For Brazil, the country's football federation (CBF) is likely to turn its attention to Ancelotti's future as its most pressing item of business.