Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland is on a scoring spree, helping to guide the Manchester City star is putting Norway on track for a third World Cup knockout stage appearance.
Despite Norway holding a 1-0 lead at halftime, Haaland experienced a frustrating first half as he was unable to score, thwarted by Édouard Mendy in goal.
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However, as he has done countless times for both club and country, Haaland ignited after the break, scoring twice within ten minutes—first in the 48th minute and again in the 58th—sandwiched around a missed opportunity by Ismaïla Sarr.
With an impressive tally of 59 goals in just 52 appearances for Norway, Haaland has etched his name among football’s greats, becoming his nation’s all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, surpassing Kjetil Rekdal, who had two goals in the 1994 and 1998 tournaments.
The Leeds native has now joined an elite group as only the sixth player in World Cup history to score multiple goals in his first two matches, alongside Argentina’s Guillermo Stabile, Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis, France’s Just Fontaine, Poland’s Grzegorz Lato, and current England star Harry Kane.
Furthermore, Haaland has scored at least two goals in each of his last six competitive outings for Norway (according to StatMuse) and has found the net in his last 12 competitive appearances, tallying at least one goal in 18 out of his last 21 national team matches (per Opta).
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With a crucial match against Kylian Mbappé and France ahead, both players currently sit at four goals, just one behind tournament leader Lionel Messi, setting up a thrilling Golden Boot race.