Norway secured a decisive 4-1 victory over Iraq during the Football World Cup. The Scandinavian side leaned heavily on their star striker, Erling Haaland, who scored twice.
In the 29th minute, Haaland put Norway ahead after a rapid switch from the right to the left wing, slotting the ball into the net from close range. Iraq responded shortly after, netting an equalizer via a header from Aymen Hussein in the 39th minute. Just before the break, Haaland capitalised on an Iraqi defensive error. When a poor pass was made back to the goalkeeper, Hassan, the Norwegian forward decisively intercepted the ball and scored the 2-1 goal in the 43rd minute.
While the first half saw a tight contest, Norway continued to extend its lead in the second half. Leo Östigard provided the crucial separation in the 76th minute, heading in the ball for 3-1 following a corner kick taken by Martin Ödegaard.
Although the Iraqis pushed hard for an equalizer in the final stages, Norway defended skillfully and kept the clean sheet. The final score was sealed in injury time, with Aymen Hussein scoring an own goal for Iraq in the 7th minute of stoppage time, bringing the final score to 4-1 in favour of Norway.
