Haaland Nets Brace on World Cup Debut as Norway Rout Iraq 4-1

20 Jun 2026

Erling Haaland finally got his first taste of World Cup football on June 16, and he made an immediate impact: the Manchester City striker scored twice — at 29 and 43 minutes — as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 in Group I in Boston. His first came from a David Møller Wolfe cross and his second off a goalkeeper blunder, showcasing his predatory instincts at football's grandest stage. Norway, at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 — two years before Haaland was born — look like genuine contenders in a group also featuring France and Senegal. Leo Ostigard and an own goal completed the scoring, with Iraq's Aymen Hussein providing a brief equaliser for the Group I debutants.