Finishing chances is just what Erling Haaland does. And on Sunday, that was enough to give Norway their biggest win in FIFA World Cup history. The Manchester City striker powered in a 79th-minute header and added a second in the 90th minute as Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal at the expense of the five-time champions.
Kept under wraps for most of the round of 16 fixture, Haaland's sixth and seventh goals of the tournament sent Brazil to their earliest exit since being eliminated in the round of 16 in 1990. He's now tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe for the tournament lead.
Not just Haaland, Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland made four stops, including a diving denial of Bruno Guimaraes' 14th-minute penalty kick. The 34-year-old Neymar converted a second late spot kick deep in second-half stoppage time for Brazil in what was his final World Cup appearance.
Norway will now face the winner of Sunday's later match between host Mexico and England in a quarterfinal in Miami Gardens. The result maintained one of the all-time World Cup oddities, the Nordic nation's perfect 2-0-0 record against the Selecao in the competition.
The other victory in 1998, also a 2-1 Norway triumph, came in a group-stage finale after Brazil had already secured passage to the knockout phase.
Erling Haaland takes Brazil by surprise
Haaland's first came after an extended stretch in which Carlo Ancelotti's side looked more likely to score. Just seconds after coming into the match, the 19-year-old Endrick missed Brazil's best chance of the afternoon, getting his footing all wrong and firing wide after reaching Vinicius Junior's excellent throughball in the 59th minute.
Nyland also denied Rayan and Guimaraes after the break before Norway turned the tables in the final 15 minutes and guaranteed Brazil's World Cup drought would extend to at least 28 years.
Less than five minutes after Andreas Schjelderup forced Alisson into a 75th- minute stop, he found Haaland with a looping cross from the left. Haaland rose above Gabriel Magalhaes and nodded downward beyond Alisson's dive.
The same duo combined 11 minutes later to seal it. Schjelderup provided the square ball from the left, and Haaland controlled it and snapped a low, right- footed shot into the bottom right corner.
Afterward, he was given the honor of leading the minority of Norway fans in the building in their now-famous Viking Row celebration, and he had advice for his countrymen across the Atlantic.
Early on, American referee Ismail Elfath originally waved play on following Kristoffer Ajer's penalty area tackle on Matheus Cunha, only to reverse his decision and point to the spot following a look at the replay monitor. Guimaraes stepped to the spot, hesitated and fired toward the bottom right corner, where Nyland made a strong diving save.
