Star striker Erling Haaland made an immediate impact on the World Cup stage, bagging a brace on his debut as Norway triumphed 4-1 over Iraq in their opening Group I match in Boston. The victory, which saw Norway return to the tournament after a 28-year absence, places them at the top of their group after the initial round of fixtures.
Norway took the lead after 29 minutes when Sander Berge set up David Moller Wolfe on the left, whose low cross was converted at the back post by Haaland. The Manchester City forward almost turned provider shortly after, feeding Alexander Sorloth whose shot was blocked, with Arsenal's Martin Odegaard also firing wide as Norway maintained early dominance.
Iraq, however, found an equaliser against the run of play in the 39th minute. Ali Jasim's clever pass found Amir Al-Ammari, whose cross was headed low into the bottom corner by Aymen Hussein. The celebrations were short-lived for Iraq, as goalkeeper Jalal Hassan's weak back pass four minutes later ricocheted off Haaland and into the net, restoring Norway's lead.
The second half saw Iraq attempt to push for an equaliser, with Hussein heading wide and Hussein Ali firing over. However, Norway sealed the result in the 76th minute when Leo Ostigard rose highest to head in an Odegaard corner. Haaland was denied a hat-trick by a close-range save from Hassan, but was involved in Norway's fourth goal in stoppage time, heading the ball across goal for Kristian Thorstvedt, whose effort was ultimately recorded as an own goal by Hussein as he tried to clear.
This impressive start firmly positions Norway as a team to watch in Group I, a challenging group that also features 2022 World Cup runners-up France and Senegal. France also began their campaign with a 3-1 victory in their Tuesday fixture, setting up an intriguing battle for qualification.