World Cup

In clinical fashion, Erling Haaland led Norway to a 4-1 win over Iraq, and in doing so, gave local fans the chance to witness one of the best goalscorers on the planet.

By Kevin Slane

June 17, 2026 | 1:50 PM

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FOXBOROUGH — Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A group of fans from a small but mighty European country descended on Boston ahead of witnessing their national team triumph in its first World Cup appearance since 1998.

No, I’m not talking about Scotland and the Tartan Army. On Tuesday night at Boston Stadium (the temporary name of Gillette Stadium), it was Norway and the Viking Army, who sang, chanted, and rowed in their seats (as opposed to rowing on Boston’s escalators) as Norway defeated Iraq, 4-1.

Norway and its fans filled the South End of the stadium, while fans of Iraq, who were celebrating the country’s first World Cup appearance since 1986, ruled the North.

In between the two ends, there was an unusually high number of neutral fans as well. Wearing everything from Team USA kits to England shirts, they were on hand to see one of the most electric players in world football: Norway striker Erling Haaland.

Not since Lionel Messi visited Foxborough last summer have Bostonians had the chance to see one of the best players in the world up close and personal. The formidable Norwegian didn’t disappoint, scoring a pair of first-half goals and constantly threatening to complete the hat trick in his World Cup debut.

From the opening whistle, Haaland imposed his will on the Iraqi defense. In the sixth minute, he intercepted an Iraqi pass and casually outpaced defender Zaid Tahseen en route to an early chance. In the 19th minute, the 6-foot-5 Haaland showed why he is a constant set piece threat, propelling himself high into the air for a headed chance off a corner kick that fizzed over the crossbar.

Haaland finally found the back of the net in the 28th minute, sliding in to poke a cross from David Møller Wolfe across the line.

Then in the 42nd minute, Haaland — known as “The Terminator” due to his physical stature and unrelenting quest for goals — capitalized on a weak pass from Tahseen and sprinted toward keeper Jalal Hassan, beating the goalie to the ball and forcing Hassan to boot the ball directly into Haaland, who calmly slotted it in.

Haaland’s second goal came at the perfect time for Norway, only minutes after Iraq evened the score on a goal from Aymen Hussein. Facing the threat of going into the locker room 1-1, Haaland began pressing hard, sprinting from one defender to the next until the Iraqi back line faltered.

After the game, Norway midfielder Sander Berge credited Haaland with catalyzing the squad, saying that the forward is “laid-back” in day-to-day life but switches on when he takes the field.

“You can always see the hunger in him when it’s game time and there’s something at stake,” Berge said. “Out there, he’s an animal.”

At every step of his career, the 25-year-old Haaland has scored a prodigious number of goals. He scored 29 in 27 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, then netted 86 goals in 89 appearances for German club Borussia Dortmund. Playing in the toughest domestic league on the planet, the English Premier League, he has won the Golden Boot in three of his four seasons at Manchester City.

And yet after the game, Haaland was humble in responding to Norway coach Ståle Solbakken’s assessment that he is the world’s greatest goalscorer.

“I don’t think I scored the most goals this season, so statistically, no I’m not,” Haaland said. “I think [England striker] Harry Kane and [France forward Kylian] Mbappé scored more goals than me, and that’s reality.”

With Kane set to captain England at Boston Stadium vs. Ghana on June 23 and Haaland returning to Foxborough to face off against Mbappé and France on June 26, local fans will have the incredible privilege of seeing which striker reigns supreme for themselves.