07 July,2026 09:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Ada Khan
Erling Haaland leads Norway’s Viking Row celebration after their win. Pic/AFP; (right Oliver Pettersen with his Norway-Brazil combo jersey at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Pic/Ada Khan
Norway fans have made the Viking Row celebration iconic at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, but moments before the start of their round-of-16 clash, Brazil's supporters, who comfortably outnumbered their counterparts at the New York New Jersey Stadium here, taunted them with chants of "Row back home."
Interestingly, the Norway fans had the last laugh with their star striker Erling Haaland netting a brace in their 2-1 win, ensuring the Brazil fans would have to pack their bags and return home.
This is the greatest win for Norway, who had previously never reached the last-eight stage of football's quadrennial showpiece, and moments after the final whistle, their passionate fans did the Viking Row celebration directed by Haaland with his drum beats.
"I knew Norway played well, but I never expected them to eliminate Brazil," Oliver Pettersen, a fan, interestingly caught in the middle of a cross-cultural showdown, told mid-day.
"I was born in the USA, but my mom is Brazilian, and dad is Norwegian, so I love both countries. I know Norway beat Brazil in the 1998 group stage, but this is my first time watching them at a World Cup. I've followed Brazil since I was a baby. They won the title in 1994, the year I was born, so I had to support both teams today," added Oliver, explaining his custom-made jersey split with colours of both Norway and Brazil.
Haaland fans were clearly over the moon. "I've never been happier. Haaland is an absolute beast. We are rowing and going all the way to the final," said ecstatic Norway fan Brad Vaiana.
Even some of the neutral locals were all praise for Haaland. "Haaland was quiet initially, but true world-class players deliver exactly when it matters most," said Pranay Akula, an Indian-American, who chose to root for the underdogs.
Meanwhile, Brazil fans felt star player Neymar should've started the game, especially since they missed an early penalty which was taken by Guimaraes, and Neymar converted a late penalty. "I feel sad. Had Neymar started, he would've taken that first penalty and scored. This Brazil team hasn't been playing beautiful football for a while now," said Brazil fan Gustavo Mayer, attending his third World Cup.
