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Norway triumphed over Iraq with a score of 4-1 this Tuesday at the , marking one of the strongest debuts of the opening day of Group I in the 2026 World Cup, with Erling Haaland as the undeniable star and a substitute defender who stole the spotlight in the final minutes.
The match started with Norway taking control from the very first whistle. The Scandinavians, who arrived at the tournament after winning all eight matches in their European qualifying round with 24 points and 37 goals scored, quickly showed why they generated so much anticipation.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a goal that confirmed his excellent form: the forward had already scored 16 goals during the qualifiers for this World Cup.
Iraq, however, did not give up. A. Hussein equalized in the 39th minute and brought back hope to a team that was returning to the World Cup after 40 years of absence — their last participation had been in Mexico 1986 — after qualifying by defeating Bolivia 2-1 in the intercontinental playoff held in Monterrey on March 31, 2026.
The Iraqi joy lasted just four minutes. Haaland reappeared in the 43rd minute to restore Norway's lead, sending both teams into halftime with a score of 2-1 that clearly indicated who was in charge of the match.
The second half left no room for doubt. Norway comfortably controlled the ball —63% possession compared to Iraq's 37%— and in the 73rd minute made four simultaneous substitutions that completely tilted the match. One of the newcomers, defender Leo Østigård, became the unexpected star: he scored in the 76th minute and followed up with another goal in the 77th, two goals in just 60 seconds that finalized the score at a decisive 4-1.
The match statistics clearly reflect Scandinavian dominance: five shots on goal for Norway compared to just one from Iraq, five corners against two, and twelve total shots against eleven from the Iraqis. Norway finished the match without any bookings; the only yellow card of the game was given to the Iraqi Z. Tahseen in the 86th minute.
With this result, the is led by Norway with three points and a goal difference of +3. France, which on the same day won 3-1 against Senegal at MetLife Stadium, also has three points but a goal difference of +2, placing them second based on that criterion. Senegal finishes the day with zero points and -2, while Iraq occupies the last place with zero points and -3.
For Norway, returning to the World Cup for the first time since France 1998, the debut could not have been more promising: a convincing victory, Haaland in scoring form, and a team that managed the match well, even with the substitutes.
For Iraq, the defeat is a hard blow, although there are two matches left to try to recover: they will face France on June 22 and Senegal on June 26, two opponents who will not forgive the same defensive mistakes that cost them three goals this Tuesday.
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