Norway 2-1 Iraq: Haaland Brace on World Cup Debut Sees Off Iraq's Stunning Equaliser
Erling Haaland scored twice on his long-awaited World Cup debut as Norway beat Iraq 2-1 in Foxborough, but Aymen Hussein's reply gave Iraq their first World Cup goal in roughly 40 years.
Norway's long-awaited World Cup return delivered exactly the kind of moment its build-up had promised. Erling Haaland scored twice on his tournament debut as Norway beat Iraq 2-1 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Tuesday, though Iraq's response — a first World Cup goal in roughly four decades — ensured the Group I opener was no formality.
Haaland needed only 29 minutes to open his World Cup account, finishing left-footed from close range after a cross from David Møller Wolfe picked him out at the back post. It was the goal Norway's qualifying campaign had been building toward — Haaland had scored 16 times as the team won all eight of their matches to end a 28-year absence from the tournament — and for a spell it looked as though it might settle the contest comfortably.
Iraq had other ideas. Aymen Hussein rose to meet a header in the 39th minute that brought the Iraqi end of the stadium to its feet — a goal of genuine historical weight for a country that had not scored at a men's World Cup since the 1986 tournament in Mexico. The celebration was short-lived. Four minutes later, Haaland restored Norway's lead with his second of the afternoon, finishing from another close-range opportunity to make it 2-1 at the break, a scoreline that held for the remainder of the match.
The day carried extra significance for Norway beyond the result. Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard, the team's captain, made his own World Cup debut alongside Haaland — the pair finally sharing a World Cup pitch after years in which Norway's failure to qualify denied two of European football's most gifted players a stage many felt they were overdue. With France having beaten Senegal in the group's other fixture on the same day, Norway sit level on three points at the top of Group I.
For Iraq, back at a World Cup for the first time since that long-ago appearance in 1986, the defeat comes with a measure of pride attached. A team given little chance against one of the tournament's most dangerous strikers pushed Norway until the final whistle and leaves Foxborough with a goal that will be remembered long after the scoreline fades.
Sources: ESPN — Norway vs Iraq LIVE: World Cup 2026 updates as Haaland makes tournament debut · FIFA — Iraq vs Norway 1-2, First Stage
