Norway Stuns Brazil 2-1 in World Cup Quarterfinal
Norway stunned five-time World Cup champion Brazil 2-1 in a quarterfinal upset on July 5, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to send the Scandinavian nation to the semifinals for the first time.
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken was impressed with his players' performance, which led to a successful 2-1 victory over Brazil, and expressed that everyone should feel proud of the achievement. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti lamented that his team played well and had opportunities to win but was unable to finish.
In the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match on July 5, Norway narrowly defeated Brazil 2-1. Erling Haaland scored both of Norway's goals in the 79th and 90th minutes, while Brazil's goal came from Neymar in the 90+10th minute from a penalty.
Norway advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in the nation's history and will face the winner of the Mexico-England match on July 11.
Solbakken said: "I told the players that this match we might not have had a 50-50 chance, but it was still possible if we played our best. This was an exciting game with many possible outcomes, but we played strongly and executed the plan well. We should be very proud of this performance."
Ancelotti commented: "It's clear everyone is very disappointed with what happened. We haven't had an excellent performance in this World Cup, but in this match we did well. There were even stretches of the game where we deserved to win."
