Norway have kept their World Cup dream alive after producing one of the biggest shocks of the tournament, eliminating Brazil in the Round of 16.
The Vikings have now booked their place in the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the clash between England and Mexico. Norway's victory was driven largely by the brilliance of Erling Haaland, whose brace proved decisive in sending the Vikings into the quarterfinals.
The 25-year-old striker could hardly have been prouder to lead his nation from the front on football's biggest stage.
Moments after the final whistle, and once Norway's famous Viking rowing celebrations had concluded, Haaland quickly took to social media to share his emotions.
Haaland shares emotional reaction
The Norwegian forward posted a photograph of himself standing with his arms spread wide toward the crowd and his eyes closed as he soaked in the historic occasion. He captioned it, “Worth the 28-year wait!” along with a Norway flag and a heart emoji.
Haaland's message carried added significance, as it has been since 1998 that the Vikings last appeared at the FIFA World Cup, making their long-awaited return, and now a place in the quarterfinals, even more memorable.
He also shared a selfie from inside the dressing room with the simple caption, “Well, well, well,” followed by a laughing emoji, seemingly referring to his pre-match remark in which he admitted Norway had very little chance of defeating Brazil.
Haaland finishes Brazil off
{{/usCountry}}He also shared a selfie from inside the dressing room with the simple caption, “Well, well, well,” followed by a laughing emoji, seemingly referring to his pre-match remark in which he admitted Norway had very little chance of defeating Brazil.
Haaland finishes Brazil off
{{/usCountry}}The contest remained goalless until the 80th minute, when Haaland finally broke the deadlock. Timing his leap to perfection, the striker met a cross from the left flank with a powerful header that found the back of the net.
Brazil had little time to respond, and whenever they threatened, Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland stood firm, producing a series of crucial saves to deny the Seleção an equalizer.
As the match entered the closing stages of nine minutes of added time, Norway launched a counterattack that once again found Haaland, this time just outside the penalty area.
The Manchester City forward kept his composure and guided a clinical finish into the bottom-right corner, leaving Alisson Becker with no chance.
Brazil's painful farewell as Neymar retires
That goal all but secured Norway's famous victory, although Brazil did manage to pull one back late on after being awarded a penalty.
It was the second spot kick given to Carlo Ancelotti's side in the match. Neymar converted the second attempt, while the first, taken by Bruno Guimaraes, was brilliantly saved.
Following Brazil's World Cup elimination, Neymar also announced his retirement from international football.