Erling Haaland spearheaded a dominant performance to lead Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq in their 2026 World Cup Group I opener. Erling Haaland’s highly anticipated World Cup debut lived up to the astronomical hype. The Manchester City forward netted a first-half brace to power Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq at Boston Stadium, sealing a perfect start to their Group I campaign. Norway set the tone from the opening whistle, monopolizing possession and suffocating Iraq’s lines. The early breakthrough came courtesy of a brilliant, weaving run down the flank by Antonio Nusa, who squared a perfect ball into the heart of the box for Haaland to comfortably tap home, making it 1-0. Despite being pinned back for most of the half and creating little to no danger, Iraq stunned the crowd with a lightning-quick equalizer. A pinpoint cross found target man Aymen Hussein, who thudded a powerful header past Ørjan Nyland to bring the underdogs level. However, just minutes later, Haaland ruthlessly punished a horrific defensive blunder by the Iraqi backline, to secure his brace and send the Norwegians into the locker room with a 2-1 lead. The second half was a clinic in game management by the Europeans. After regaining complete control of the midfield, Norway put the match on ice after a header from Leo Ostigard and a late goal from Kristian Thorstvedt. With three points secured, Norway will look to punch their ticket to the knockout rounds when they square off against Senegal on Friday, June 26. Meanwhile, Iraq faces a daunting, do-or-die survival test against tournament heavyweights France.