Haaland Matches Messi and Mbappé with Historic World Cup Performance Against Brazil

Erling Haaland played a decisive role in a historic night for Norway as he propelled the national team into the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup by defeating the legendary Brazil team 2-1 on Sunday evening in New York. The Manchester City striker scored both goals for Norway in the 79th and 90th minutes, securing his team's advancement. Norway now awaits the winner of the upcoming match between England and Mexico scheduled for early Monday.

With these two critical goals, Haaland has increased his tally to seven goals in his first World Cup appearance, placing him alongside football legends Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé as the top scorers of the current tournament. This trio’s scoring feats have produced statistics unseen in decades. According to the statistics network SofaScore, this is the first time since the 1958 Sweden World Cup that three players have each scored more than five goals in a single World Cup edition. Additionally, the record-focused network Opta confirmed that it is the first occasion in World Cup history that three different players have scored at least seven goals each in the same tournament.

Haaland’s achievements come amid intense competition in the knockout stages, with major upcoming fixtures including Messi leading Argentina against Egypt on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, France is set to face Morocco in the quarterfinals, a match that recalls the historic semifinal clash between these two teams in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Continuing his prolific scoring streak, Haaland has netted in the last 14 consecutive official matches for Norway. His current form is not sudden; he was the top scorer in the European qualifiers for the World Cup with 16 goals. During this World Cup campaign in North America, Haaland has scored twice against both the United States and Senegal in the group stage, added a goal against Ivory Coast in the round of 32, and capped his impressive run with the two decisive goals against Brazil in the round of 16.

Following Norway’s elimination of "Seleção," the young striker extended his remarkable scoring rate for his country, reaching his 62nd international goal in only 54 matches. This performance reaffirms his status as one of the most prolific scorers and a formidable figure in the history of football.