Erling Haaland netted two goals on his FIFA World Cup debut as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 at Boston Stadium despite a determined performance from the Asian side.
Match Report
The Manchester City forward found the net on either side of Aymen Hussein’s goal for Iraq, while Leo Ostigard and a Hussein own goal completed the scoring. The result saw Norway join France on three points in Group I following the opening round of matches.
Iraq started brightly and created the first opportunities, with Hussein heading over from close range before Ali Al Hamadi fired over from the edge of the area.
Norway, however, took the lead in the 29th minute when Haaland arrived at the far post to convert David Moller Wolfe’s low delivery.
The Iraqis restored parity 10 minutes later through Hussein, who rose highest to head Amir Al Ammari’s cross beyond Orjan Nyland. Their joy was short-lived, though, as Haaland put Norway back in front before the interval by pressing Jalal Hassan and diverting the goalkeeper’s clearance into the net.
Graham Arnold’s men still fashioned several chances before half-time but failed to capitalise. Ibrahim Bayesh had an effort blocked by Moller Wolfe, Al Hamadi was denied by a crucial challenge from Kristoffer Ajer, and Akam Hashim volleyed just over.
The second period offered fewer openings. Norway did not register a shot until the 76th minute, but from the corner that followed Kristian Thorstvedt’s blocked attempt, Ostigard headed home to extend the lead.
Haaland nearly completed his hat-trick late in the game after intercepting a misplaced back pass from Zidane Iqbal. This time, however, Hassan reacted quickly to deny him. Deep into added time, Haaland’s header across goal was accidentally turned into Iraq’s own net by Hussein.
Erling Haaland – who else?
Following Kylian Mbappe’s two-goal display for France earlier on Tuesday, many expected Haaland to answer in the race for the Golden Boot, and he did just that.
Haaland became the first Norwegian player to score more than once on a World Cup debut. He has now registered multiple goals in each of his last five competitive appearances for Norway, scoring 13 times during that stretch.
The 25-year-old has also found the net in 11 consecutive competitive matches for his country since November 2024 and will aim to continue that streak in upcoming Group I fixtures against Senegal and France.
Although Norway finished ahead in the “expected goals (xG)” statistics by 2.58 to 0.77 and scored four goals in a major tournament match for the first time, Stale Solbakken will know improvements are needed if his side are to top the group.
Iraq can still draw encouragement from the contest. They scored only their second-ever World Cup goal—the first coming in a 2-1 loss to Belgium in 1986—and created enough opportunities to get a result in Boston.
A costly mistake while building from the back before half-time ultimately hurt them, but their performance demonstrated that they are capable of competing for third place in the group.
