Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two goals as Norway defeated a determined Iraq side in their first Group I match at Boston Stadium.
The 25 year old striker moved to 57 goals in 51 appearances for Norway on the day his country returned to the World Cup after a 28 year absence. He was close to completing what would have been the 55th hat trick in tournament history, but Jalal Hassan produced a strong late save to deny him.
Iraq start well before Haaland breaks through
Iraq, appearing on football’s biggest stage for the first time in 40 years, competed well during the opening 25 minutes and made life difficult for Norway early on.
The breakthrough came just 58 seconds after the first half hydration break. David Moller Wolfe pushed forward on the left and delivered a low cross into the box, where Haaland slid in at the far post to turn the ball home.
Iraq responded on 39 minutes with a deserved equaliser. Amir Al Ammari sent in a cross and Aymen Hussein met it with a powerful downward header inside the post. Hussein had also scored the decisive goal against Bolivia in March to send Iraq to the World Cup through the intercontinental play off final.
Norway regain control before the break
The game stayed level for only four minutes. Haaland closed down Hassan as the experienced goalkeeper delayed on a back pass inside his own six yard box, and the ball rebounded into the net.
Iraq still finished the first half strongly. Ibrahim Bayesh had a volley deflected wide, Ali Al Hamadi was stopped in the area by Kristoffer Ajer, and Akam Hashim struck an excellent 20 yard volley just over the bar.
After the interval, Manchester born Zidan Iqbal came on for Iraq and became the first player of Pakistani heritage to play in a men’s World Cup.
Ostigard header helps Norway seal victory
Norway finally created breathing space in the 76th minute. Substitute Leo Ostigard rose to meet a Martin Odegaard corner and headed in to make the result more comfortable.
Deep into stoppage time, Haaland sent a looping header across goal and Hussein deflected it into his own net, adding a fourth for Norway.
At the fifth attempt, this was the first victory by a European team over Asian Football Confederation opposition at this tournament. For Iraq, the wait for a first World Cup point continues.
