For long stretches of Sunday's round of 16 tie at MetLife Stadium, it looked like Haaland's World Cup might be remembered for a header that didn't go in and a string of half chances snuffed out by Marquinhos and Gabriel. Then, with eleven minutes left, he did what he has done to almost everyone else all season.
The breakthrough came in the 79th minute, when Haaland rose above Gabriel to meet a pinpoint cross from substitute Andreas Schjelderup and power a header past Alisson. Eight minutes later he settled it himself, collecting the ball just outside the box and driving a low shot into the corner that the Brazilian goalkeeper had no chance of reaching. Neymar pulled one back from the penalty spot in stoppage time, Brazil's second penalty of the match after Bruno Guimaraes had seen an earlier one saved by Orjan Nyland, but there was no time left for an equalizer.
The result ended Brazil's tournament at the round of 16 stage for the sixth straight World Cup they've been knocked out by European opposition, and it's the earliest the five time champions have exited since 1990. For Norway, it's the exact opposite story. This is their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, and Sunday's win took them into the quarterfinals for the first time in the nation's history.
Haaland's double took his tournament tally to seven goals, level with Messi for the tournament's current top spot, and stretched a personal run that's become one of the defining storylines of his international career. He has now scored in every one of his last several appearances for Norway, a stretch that stands out even by his own extraordinary standards. Speaking afterward, Haaland admitted the result had surprised even him, saying he'd always dreamed of playing a World Cup for Norway but never really expected to beat Brazil when it came to it.
Norway now move on to face the winner of Mexico against England, with the quarterfinal set for July 11 in Miami. Given what Haaland has done to every side put in front of him this summer, nobody in the remaining field will be relishing the visit.