2026 FIFA World Cup — Group I, Matchday 1 | June 17 | Gillette Stadium, Boston

BOSTON — Erling Haaland waited 25 years for his first World Cup match. He needed 29 minutes to score his first World Cup goal. Fourteen minutes later, he scored his second.

Norway 4-1 Iraq. The most feared striker on the planet has arrived on football’s biggest stage, and he brought his appetite with him.

29th Minute: The Beast Unleashed

For the opening 28 minutes, Iraq’s defensive shape held firm. Their 4-5-1 low block compressed every inch of space. Haaland, shadowed by two centre-backs, barely touched the ball.

Then Antonio Nusa played a through-ball down the right, David Møller Wolfe drove a low cross across the face of goal, and Haaland — sliding in at the far post like a freight train on rails — stabbed the ball into the net. 1-0. His 56th goal for Norway. His first at a World Cup.

The red-clad Norwegian supporters behind the goal erupted. They had waited 28 years to see their nation back at this tournament. Haaland had given them a goal inside half an hour.

39th Minute: Iraq’s Moment of Defiance

But Iraq did not crumble. In the 39th minute, Amir Al-Ammari swung a cross from the right, and Ayman Hussein rose above Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer to power a header into the corner. 1-1.

It was Iraq’s first World Cup goal in 40 years. Their last appearance at this tournament was in 1986 — the year before Haaland was even born. Hussein, Iraq’s all-time leading scorer with 33 international goals, had written his name into history.

In the stands, Iraqi fans wept. Forty years of waiting, repaid in a single moment.

43rd Minute: The Fatal Error

The joy lasted four minutes.

In the 43rd minute, Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan received a back-pass and, under pressure from Haaland, produced a clearance so weak it barely reached the edge of the penalty area. Haaland pounced, rounded the stranded keeper, and rolled the ball into an empty net. 2-1.

From 1-1 to 1-2 in four minutes. From hope to despair in a single mistake. Hassan knelt on the turf, head bowed, as Haaland wheeled away in celebration.

Second Half: The Viking Ship Sails On

Norway took complete control after the break. Martin Ødegaard, the captain and orchestrator, pulled the strings from midfield — four key passes, one of them decisive. In the 77th minute, his corner kick found Leo Østigård, who rose highest and headed home. 3-1.

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, the tragedy of Ayman Hussein was complete. Haaland nodded the ball back across goal, chaos ensued in the six-yard box, and Hussein — the man who had scored Iraq’s historic equaliser — inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. 4-1. One goal, one own goal. Football can be cruel.

Haaland’s Numbers

Four shots, three on target, two goals. Haaland’s World Cup account is open, and the balance is already impressive. For context: Kylian Mbappé scored four goals in the entire 2018 tournament. Haaland has two after 90 minutes.

“I’ll give everything, focus on each game, and not think too far ahead,” Haaland said afterwards. But everyone else is already thinking ahead — to the Mbappé-Haaland showdown that could define this tournament.

The Asian Unbeaten Run Ends

Iraq’s defeat ended Asia’s unbeaten start to this World Cup. Six AFC teams had previously gone 2-4-0: South Korea, Australia, Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran all avoided defeat. Iraq became the first to lose.

But the 4-1 scoreline does not tell the full story. Iraq equalised. They created chances. They were undone by individual quality and two critical errors. For a nation returning to the World Cup after four decades, simply being here was a victory of its own.

Group I Standings

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Norway 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 3
2 France 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 3
3 Senegal 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 0
4 Iraq 1 0 0 1 1 4 -3 0

Norway face Senegal in Philadelphia on June 22. Iraq meet France the same day. For the Lions of Mesopotamia, the mountain only gets steeper.

Match Details:

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