Haaland leads Norway's rout of Iraq (1-4) at Gillette Stadium
A Haaland brace and an Ostigard goal for a rampant Norway in Group I; Hussein scored Iraq's consolation.
Norway began in commanding fashion in Group I, thrashing Iraq 1-4 in a match dominated from start to finish by the Nordics at this 2026 World Cup. The clash was played at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (USA), the 64,146-seat home near Boston, a New England venue of strong sporting tradition that witnessed a masterclass from the Scandinavian striker.
Erling Haaland was the standout. The forward opened the scoring in the 29th minute after an assist from Dennis Wolfe, and doubled the tally in the 43rd for 0-2 that left Iraq reeling before the break. In between, Iraq had momentarily levelled: in the 39th minute, Ali Hussein made it 1-1 from an Amir Al Ammari pass, the only moment the Asian side dreamed of an upset.
The second half brought the decisive blows. In the 76th minute, Leo Ostigard made it 1-3 finishing a Martin Odegaard assist, and in the 90th an own goal by Ali Hussein rounded off the emphatic 1-4. The only booking of the match went to Zaid Tahseen, shown the yellow card in the 86th minute.
Iraq, managed by Graham Arnold, set up in a 4-4-2 with Jalal Hassan in goal and Ali Al Hamadi as the attacking reference. Norway, led by Stale Solbakken, lined up in another 4-4-2 in which the leadership of Martin Odegaard and the finishing of Erling Haaland, supported by Alexander Sorloth, made the difference.
The rout places Norway among the Group I leaders with three points and a very favourable goal difference, a statement of intent for qualification, while Iraq must regroup quickly to stay alive at a 48-team 2026 World Cup spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada.