Erling Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage with the inevitability of a player who has long treated elite competition as a personal fiefdom. On a humid Massachusetts evening, the Manchester City striker struck twice in the first half to propel Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq, ending a 28-year absence from the tournament for the Scandinavians and immediately reshaping the dynamics of a Group I already billed as this edition’s ‘group of death’. Viewed from European capitals, the result was less a surprise than a confirmation: a generation built around Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has finally dragged Norwegian football back into the global conversation.

For half an hour, however, Iraq threatened a more complicated narrative. The Mesopotamian Lions, competing in their first World Cup in four decades, began with aggressive pressing and created early chances through Aymen Hussein and Ali Al Hamadi. Haaland’s opener, a close-range finish from David Møller Wolfe’s low cross in the 29th minute, seemed to settle nerves, but Hussein’s powerful header from Amir Al-Ammari’s delivery restored parity ten minutes later. The equaliser exposed a lingering fragility in Norway’s defensive transitions, a concern noted by analysts in Stockholm and Oslo who had watched their side labour through a nervy opening. The decisive moment arrived in the 43rd minute, when Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan attempted to play out from the back and was dispossessed by Haaland, who rolled the ball into an empty net. It was a goal that blended predatory instinct with the kind of pressing intelligence that has made the 25-year-old the most feared forward in the Premier League.

Norway’s second-half control rendered the contest a procession. Substitute Leo Østigård headed in a third from a corner in the 76th minute, and deep into stoppage time, a Haaland header forced Hussein to deflect the ball into his own net. The four-goal haul set a national record for a single World Cup match, surpassing the two goals Norway managed in both their 1998 fixtures. Across the Atlantic, Brazilian and Argentine observers noted the symbolic weight of the performance: Haaland’s brace placed him alongside Kylian Mbappé, who had earlier scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, as the early pace-setters in the Golden Boot race. Meanwhile, Asian media highlighted that Iraq’s defeat snapped an impressive unbeaten start for the continent’s representatives at this tournament, while also drawing attention to the ordeal of Hussein, who was detained for seven hours by US immigration authorities upon arrival in Chicago.

Haaland’s post-match remarks carried a characteristic blend of satisfaction and steel. “The first goal was good, the second even better. It’s fantastic, and I’m proud of everyone because we started the tournament well,” he said, before adding a warning that echoed across Nordic newsrooms: “We need to play better.” That candid assessment reflects the reality that Norway’s path through Group I will only grow steeper. Next they face Senegal in New Jersey, before a collision with France in Boston that may decide top spot. For a nation that last won a World Cup match against Brazil in 1998, the return has been dreamlike, but Haaland’s insistence on improvement signals that this team views the Iraq victory not as a culmination, but as a platform.