FIFA World Cup 2026 | ‘I had a feeling Haaland would do it for us’: Norway coach Solbakken

Stale Solbakken. Pic/AFP

Norway coach Stale Solbakken said star striker Erling Haaland proved the World Cup "wasn't too big" for him as he scored two goals in the 4-1 win over Iraq on Tuesday. The Manchester City forward gave Norway the lead in their first appearance at a major tournament in 26 years and put them ahead again late in the first half after Iraq had equalised in Boston.

"You could see that he adapted to the occasion, the occasion wasn't too big for him. I had a good feeling before the game. I had quite a comfortable feeling that he would do it for us today," said Solbakken. 57 goals in 51 games Haaland has now scored 57 international goals in just 51 appearances for Norway, and Iraq coach Graham Arnold believes the Norwegians will go a "very long way."

Norway's Erling Haaland celebrates his goal against Iraq on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

"I'm incredibly proud to participate at the World Cup and to help win the first game for Norway in 28 years," said Haaland. Earlier this month, it wasn't clear whether Aymen Hussein would be able to compete in the tournament after he and another member of the team's travelling party were detained for several hours coming through US customs in Chicago. Two weeks later, Hussein scored the second World Cup goal in his country's history during Iraq's 4-1 loss to Norway on Tuesday.

Austria beat Jordan 3-1 Meanwhile, Austria won a World Cup game for the first time in 36 years with a 3-1 victory over a Jordan team on debut at the premier global event. An own goal from a corner kick that deflected off Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab gave Austria a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute on Tuesday night. Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic's penalty kick deep in stoppage team extended the margin. "This was a very intense evening, sometimes a little too intense," Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said.

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