Haaland Brace Propels Norway to a Win over Iraq

By Daniel Feuerstein | Foxborough, MA | June 16th, 2026

It was a packed house at Gillette Stadium to see the Vikings of Norway facing the debutaunts from the Middle East in Iraq as they faced each other for the very first time in the FIFA World Cup. For 90 minutes, we had two teams going for it every time they had possession of the ball. The excitement and the energy both teams were showing to the people in the stadium and on television around the world was incredible to watch. But when the match was over, it was Norway who stood on top with the final score at three goals to one.

Haaland grabs a brace for his country

This is the second time that Norway qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and prowling on the pitch is their superstar at Manchester City, Erling Haaland. This dominating striker in the English Premier League showed he is the new threat internationally during World Cup Qualifying, and now in this World Cup, he is a one-man wrecking ball, facing Iraq, and has found multiple ways to convert goals for his country.

His first goal of the match came on an attacking run, as his teammates were moving the ball down the pitch, passing it around, and beating the Iraqi defense. When David Moller Wolfe received the ball along the far side of the pitch, he saw Haaland making a run towards the back post. He made the long diagonal cross to Haaland, who slid in front of the ball and bunted it past the keeper and into the net at the 29th minute.

His second goal was a complete gift as he watched the goalkeeper and the defender make a mess of their possession of the ball. After the ball went out over the end line, the goalkeeper gave the ball to the defender near the far corner flag. Haaland started to hunt the ball as he tracked it, as the defender passed it back to the keeper, but he didn’t put enough pace on the ball. When Haaland got closer to Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, he blocked the clearance off his legs, and the ball went right into the net in the 43rd minute.

A header shot makes it a two-goal lead

Norway accepted a corner and quickly went to work as they set up inside the Iraq area. As Martin Odegaard delivered the corner and put the ball in the middle of the area, it was Leo Ostigard who leapt for the ball and gave a snap header past the keeper and got that two-goal lead. Norway was desperately trying to give themselves some breathing room. The goal was converted in the 76th minute, and all Norwegians were celebrating in the stands for that moment to happen.

Last goal for Norway

Throughout the second half, Haaland was looking for his hat trick. He really wanted to create an exclamation point on the match and show the world why Norway is the new danger team in this World Cup. As he was putting himself into position, Haaland was at the near post trying to head the ball inside the far post, but his teammate wanted to get his own World Cup goal. Both men missed converting the chance as it went off Ayman Hussein as an own goal in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time.

Iraq played well and got their goal

All game long, Iraq showed up ready to play. They wanted to prove they deserved to be in this World Cup, and they wanted to make all their fans happy and excited for the chance to be there. They were able to level the match at one when Amir Alammari had the ball along the near side and went on an attacking run. He quickly decided to cross the ball into the area and aimed it at Aymen Hussein, then gave a snap header that beat the keeper in the 39th minute.

While down a goal again, Iraq continued to battle hard and find a way to get a second equalizer. It almost came to fruition when Akam Hashim from just outside the Norway area lashed a dangerous ball that just went over the crossbar and out. He tagged that ball so well and so hard that if it did go inside the net, not only would the scoreline be leveled at two apiece, but the net would have been torn down and burned in one shot. It was an amazing strike, but sadly didn’t go in.

Erling Haaland and Norway faced Iraq and took them down by a final score of four goals to one to take the win and move on to the second group stage match

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