Norway made a real statement and knocked Brazil out of the World Cup in the round of 16 (2–1). The European side secured victory thanks to a solid and outstanding performance from Erling Haaland.

The Manchester City striker, winner of the 2023 Gerd Müller Trophy, scored both of his side’s goals and put in an unforgettable performance to knock the five-time World Cup champions out of the tournament.

With a masterful header, following an aerial duel with Gabriel Magalhães, Haaland opened the scoring in the 79th minute. The second goal came minutes later with a superb curling shot from outside the box.

The 25-year-old striker not only secured his team’s place in the next round with this brace, but also set three significant records that have rewritten the competition’s history books – records that had stood for many years.

In this article, we’ll therefore take a look at the historic World Cup records that now bear Haaland’s name – a player who has been nominated five times for the ‘Ballon d'Or’ award.

“I think my speciality is scoring goals. I’m very good at it and I’m also a bit lucky” – Erling Haaland

Four consecutive matches with a goal

With his first goal of the match, Haaland managed to score in each of his first four World Cup matches.

It is an incredible feat that only thirteen players have achieved in the entire history of the competition.

The full list of players who scored in their first four World Cup matches:

  • Guillermo Stábile (1930)

  • Leónidas (1934)

  • György Sárosi (1934)

  • Alcides Ghiggia (1950)

  • Sándor Kocsis (1954)

  • Erich Probst (1954)

  • Just Fontaine (1958)

  • Ferenc Bene (1966)

  • Teófilo Cubillas (1970)

  • Gerd Müller (1970)

  • Christian Vieri (1998)

  • James Rodríguez (2014)

  • Erling Haaland (2026)

To be more precise, Haaland is the second player this century to achieve such a record. The previous one was James Rodríguez, in his unforgettable performance at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Brace in the knockout stages against Brazil

By scoring this brace, Haaland became the eighth player to score two or more goals against Brazil in a World Cup knockout stage.

No player had achieved this feat against the South American side at this stage since the 2014 tournament.

The players who have scored two or more goals against Brazil in the knockout stages:

  • Isidro Lángara (1934)

  • Ernst Wilimowski (1938)

  • Sándor Kocsis (1954)

  • Zinedine Zidane (1998)

  • Wesley Sneijder (2010)

  • Toni Kroos (2014)

  • André Schürrle (2014)

  • Erling Haaland (2026)

Indeed, the Germans Toni Kroos and André Schürrle were the last players to score twice against Brazil in a knockout match. Both scored twice in Germany’s historic 7–1 victory in the 2014 tournament.

Seven goals in a single tournament

Haaland’s second goal against Brazil took his tally to seven goals in this tournament. This marked a World Cup first.

For the first time, three players have scored seven goals in a single tournament. Never before in the history of the competition have more than two players reached that tally in the same year.

The three strikers who scored seven goals at the 2026 World Cup:

  • Erling Haaland: 7 goals

  • Kylian Mbappé: 7 goals

  • Lionel Messi: 7 goals

Haaland has made history once again and sparked the hopes of the whole of Norway, which returned to the World Cup after 28 years and will now play in the quarter-finals.

Now, the ‘Viking’ team’s next opponent will be none other than England. It will be a high-stakes clash for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Will there be room for more records from ‘The Android’ in this tournament?