Norway produced the biggest shock of the 2026 World Cup as Erling Haaland’s late goal sealed a 2-1 win over Brazil and booked their place in the quarter-finals.
The Scandinavians upset five world champions during a tense Last 16 tournament in New Jersey before Haaland scored twice in the closing stages.
Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty gave Brazil a glimmer of hope, but it came too late to prevent a dramatic finish.
Nyland denies Brazil after first penalty drama
Norway started well and thought they had taken the lead within three minutes when Patrick Berg fired into the top corner, only to have the goal ruled out for offside.
Brazil were then given a good chance to go ahead when VAR intervened after Kristoffer Ajer brought down Matheus Cunha in the penalty area. Referee Alejandro Hernandez initially waved off the match before overturning his decision after a review.
Bruno Guimaraes stepped up, but his penalty was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, who guessed well and pushed the effort away to preserve the tie.
Although Norway controlled most of the ball, clear-cut chances remained limited early on.
Martinelli and Vinicius both tested Nyland, who continued to impress between the posts, while Martin Odegaard forced Alisson into a smart finish at the other end after being picked out by Haaland.
Haaland delivers when it matters most
The second half followed a similar pattern, with neither side able to gain much control.
Brazil came very close to ending the rout when Vinicius released Endrick into the goal just before the hour mark. However, the youngster took a hard touch and pulled his finish past Nyland only to score.
Carlo Ancelotti introduced Neymar with just over 20 minutes remaining, hoping the veteran forward could provide the spark Brazil needed.
Instead, it was Norway that found success.
With 11 minutes remaining, Andreas Schjelderup whipped in an inviting cross from the left and Haaland rose above Gabriel to power a header past Alisson for his sixth goal of the tournament.
Brazil pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Norway struck again in stoppage time. Schjelderup was involved again, finding Haaland on the edge of the area, and the Manchester City striker took a touch before drilling a low finish into the bottom corner to seemingly seal the result.
Neymar strikes too late
There was a final twist when Leo Ostigard was penalized for elbowing Casemiro inside the area.
Neymar converted the resulting penalty in the 100th minute, but there was no time for a comeback as Norway held on to complete a famous victory.
Limpumela sent Norway to the quarter final stage of the World Cup for the first time in its history, while Brazil’s campaign ended in disappointment despite reaching the United States among the leading teams to lift the title.
