Iraq 1–4 Norway: Haaland brace marks tournament debut as Norway open Group I with a win
Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 in their Group I opener at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Norwegians led 2-1 at the break and pulled clear in the second half to make a winning start under coach Stale Solbakken.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 29th minute, tapping in at the back post from David Moller Wolfe's left-wing cross. Iraq levelled in the 39th minute through Aymen Hussein's header from Amir Al-Ammari's delivery, but Haaland restored the lead before half-time in the 43rd minute, capitalising on a weak Iraq backpass to round the goalkeeper.
Leo Ostigard headed in Norway's third from a Martin Odegaard corner in the 76th minute, and the rout was completed deep in stoppage time when Aymen Hussein turned the ball into his own net at the far post from a Norway attack.
Key moments
- •Erling Haaland scored twice (29', 43') on his World Cup debut for Norway.
- •Aymen Hussein equalised for Iraq with a 39th-minute header before adding a late own goal.
- •Leo Ostigard headed Norway's third from a Martin Odegaard corner (76').
- •Norway led 2-1 at half-time and made a winning start to their Group I campaign.
- •The match was played at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Timeline
Match facts
- Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
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- Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.