Haaland inspired – Erling Haaland scored twice before half-time as Norway opened their World Cup after 28 years with a 4-1 win over Iraq in Foxborough near Boston—then added late gloss through a headed effort that sneaked in at the end. The result came with clear warning signs i
Foxborough, near Boston, felt like a long-awaited stage for Norway—and Erling Haaland arrived like he’d never left. The Manchester City striker struck twice before half-time as Norway opened their World Cup in impressive style against Iraq. running out 4-1 winners. But the evening wasn’t perfect. Norway’s attack looked sharp, their build-up was confident, and their hunger was obvious. Still, the goal they conceded—and the way it came—left warning signs hanging in the air.
Haaland’s first goal set the tone for what Norway wanted to show in this tournament. They started passing from the back. moving Iraq around as the centre was tightly packed and there was no route into Martin Odegaard. When the ball was recycled and played to the right-hand side. Norway found their exit. leading to 15 passes between Norway’s goal-kick and the overlapping left-back David Moller Wolfe setting up Haaland to make it 1-0. For a player whose career contains plenty of big moments. this one carried extra weight—part determination. part timing. and part symbolism for a team returning to the world stage after 28 years.
The second goal arrived in a different way, built around urgency rather than pattern. Haaland chased down a weak back pass from Zaid Tahseen. pushing himself onto it as Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassen tried to clear. The pressure forced the moment that mattered, and it turned level at 1-1. Five of Norway’s starting XI weren’t even born the last time they competed at the World Cup in 1998. including Haaland and Odegaard. so nerves were always going to be there. Norway controlled much of the match anyway.
Iraq, though, stayed in it longer than their opener suggested. Their play was surprisingly competitive. and the game swung again when Norway’s substitute Leo Ostigard was allowed a free header. That made it 3-1, with Iraq’s markers seemingly more preoccupied by the presence of Haaland at the corner. Norway didn’t stop. They added a fourth in stoppage time when Haaland’s header crept in—going down as an own goal by Aymen Hussein.
Norway may have won comfortably, but the cracks in their defending were visible—exactly where you’d expect them to be punished at a higher level.
Haaland, flanked by RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa and Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth, carried plenty of threat. The centre-back partnership, however, looked vulnerable at times. Norway’s defenders were Torbjorn Heggem of Bologna and Kristoffer Ajer of Brentford. After 39 minutes, when the cross came into their box, nobody in Norwegian red took command. Aymen Hussein jumped higher than anyone else to head home for 1-1. even though three opponents—Heggem. Moller Wolfe and Sander Berge—were all converging on the same ball in a mix-up.
Iraq created chances around that moment as well. Ibrahim Bayesh. Akam Hashim. Ali Al-Hamadi all had their go at getting something from the game. but they lacked the finishing that would have made Norway sweat more. Even so. the goals conceded—and the way they were allowed—served as a reminder that this Norwegian side can be opened. even when it’s flowing forward.
There was more than football in Hussein’s equaliser.
When Iraq landed in Chicago last week. the 30-year-old was held by US immigration officers for seven hours before being freed. His personal history is heavy even by the standards of international sport. Growing up, his father, a soldier in the Iraqi Army, was killed by Al Qaeda. His brother was kidnapped, reportedly by ISIS, and was never seen again. Hussein’s goal didn’t just equalise a match; it marked a path back to the tournament itself. Iraq had reached the World Cup through a play-off versus Bolivia—their first appearance in 40 years since 1986—and Hussein’s scoring in that campaign helped take them there. To then find the net on the world stage was a moment that clearly mattered beyond the stadium.
Up front, Antonio Nusa did most of the entertaining.
Norway’s squad is stocked with technically minded attackers built to supply Haaland. Alongside captain Odegaard. manager Stale Solbakken used Nusa on the left of Haaland and Sorloth on the right in the front three. There was also RB Leipzig’s Nusa, Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup, and Fulham’s Oscar Bobb among the options available. Nusa was Norway’s most exciting creator on the night. turning the crowd’s attention into a kind of rhythm with close control that looked even more impressive in slow motion. He flashed first-half promise brightest, though his second half grew quieter.
Nusa’s performance has already sparked transfer talk, and the name Liverpool has been linked with him. At 21 years old. he’s part of a Norwegian generation that feels different from the one that last appeared on this stage. Solbakken made a quadruple substitution after 73 minutes, and Nusa was one of the four removed.
Odegaard, meanwhile, adds a different layer. He won the Premier League as Arsenal’s captain. but his injury issues meant he didn’t play as much as he would have liked in such a memorable campaign. He’ll hope for a tournament that feels like his own satisfaction as well as Norway’s chance to move forward. The next hurdles are clear: Norway face Senegal then France in their group games. and the expectation is that Odegaard will influence proceedings as they try to turn the opening win into something deeper.
Norway’s return to the world stage isn’t an accident.
They qualified by winning all eight of their group games, scoring 37 goals and conceding only five. That included beating Italy twice, winning 3-0 and 4-1. It was the kind of run that made them “dark horses” in the conversation before the tournament even began. And back home, there had been frustration at World Cups arriving without Norway. In 2013. the Norwegian Football Federation created the National Team School. designed to identify and develop the nation’s best youngsters and build a pathway for them to reach their potential. Among the NTS alumni are Odegaard, Haaland, Nusa, Strand Larsen and Schjelderup.
Whatever happens from here, Norway seem intent on making this their new normal rather than a rare arrival. Even as the clock ran down. Haaland was still pushing for more—insisting his teammates come forward for a set-piece opportunity with only seconds remaining. and Norway scored their fourth from it.
For all the attacking noise and the Haaland headlines, the biggest takeaway from Iraq 1-4 Norway might be the contrast. Norway can move the ball with purpose, pressure with bite, and strike with variety. But as the defending warning signs showed, the world stage will demand more clarity inside their own box. The match ended in celebration. The questions that come after it are the kind you only learn to ask once you’ve earned the right to be there.
Iraq vs Norway Haaland Antonio Nusa Martin Odegaard World Cup 2026 Foxborough Zaid Tahseen Jalal Hassen Aymen Hussein Leo Ostigard