[86359] 2026 World Cup: Erling Haaland stars in Norway's victory over Iraq
[86359] 2026 World Cup: Erling Haaland stars in Norway's victory over Iraq
The Norwegian national team defeated Iraq 4-1 in the World Cup group stage, with an impressive performance by Erling Haaland.
2026 World Cup: Norway defeats Iraq on the way to the next stage
In the 2026 World Cup matches held on June 17, the Norwegian national team recorded a convincing 4-1 victory over the Iraqi national team. According to a report by Iran International Sport, the match, which took place in Foxborough, Massachusetts, was decided thanks to a brace of goals by star Erling Haaland in the first half (minutes 29 and 43).
The victory is considered a significant event, as noted in Kan at 'Varzesh 3' sports news, this is the first time an Asian team has lost in the current tournament, which signaled the "collapse of the resistance" of Iraq against "the Vikings." The Iranian press, including Football 360, defined the match as a historic victory for Norway, which achieves only its second victory in its World Cup history since 1998.
During the second half, Iran International Sport reported that Leo Østigård scored the third goal for Norway in the 76th minute. Iraq, which scored a consolation goal by Aymen Hussein in the 39th minute, sealed the match result with an own goal by the same Hussein in the 90+6th minute. IRNA News Agency noted that Haaland was chosen as the man of the match in light of his decisive contribution to the goals.
Simultaneously with this match, channels such as Akharin Khabar reported on the start of the meeting between Argentina and Algeria, while tracking key events including a goal disallowed for Argentina due to an offside claim, which indicates great interest from Iranian media outlets in covering the entire tournament.