Brazil’s quest for a record sixth FIFA World Cup title came to a stunning end Sunday after a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16, marking the teams earliest World Cup exit since 1990.
Erling Haaland once again proved why he is one of the world’s most feared strikers, scoring twice in the final 11 minutes to send Norway into its first ever World Cup quarterfinal. Brazil had opportunities throughout the match, including an early penalty that Bruno Guimarães did not convert, but could not find the breakthrough against an organized Norwegian defense.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 79th minute with a towering header before doubling Norway’s lead in the 90th minute with a powerful strike. Neymar, appearing as a second-half substitute, converted a stoppage-time penalty, but it was too little, too late as Brazil’s tournament came to a heartbreaking conclusion.
The defeat marks Brazil’s earliest World Cup elimination since its Round of 16 loss to Argentina in 1990, ending a streak of reaching at least the quarterfinals in every tournament since 1994. It also means Brazil has now been eliminated by a European nation in back to back World Cups, following its penalty shootout loss to Croatia in the 2022 quarterfinals. More broadly, the loss extends Brazil’s run of World Cup eliminations to European opponents to six consecutive tournaments.
For Norway, the victory is among the greatest in the nation’s football history. Led by Haaland’s tournament leading form and a standout performance from goalkeeper OrianNyland, the Scandinavians advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time, where they will face England.
For Brazil, despite flashes of brilliance from Vinícius Júnior and Neymar, the team struggled to break down Norway’s organized defense throughout the evening. Brazil’s elimination also extended its wait for a sixth World Cup title, with its last championship coming in 2002.
Norway now advances to face England in the quarterfinals, carrying plenty of momentum as Haaland continues to establish himself as one of the stars of the tournament. Meanwhile, Brazil returns home earlier than expected after another heartbreaking World Cup campaign.
