Norway Star Striker Haaland Sets New National Record

Norway's star striker Erling Haaland has set another historic record for the national team. Shortly after becoming the fourth player to complete 50 goals for the national team the fastest, he has now also set the record for the fastest to complete 60 goals for his country.< /p>

Haaland achieved this feat by scoring the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast on Tuesday in the World Cup Round of 32. With that goal, he completed 60 goals for the national team. This was only his third World Cup match, in which he scored his fifth goal. With this, he is only one goal behind Lionel Messi, who is at the top of the race for the Golden Boot.< /p>

If Haaland had played the last match of the group stage, he might have already reached the top position in the Golden Boot race. However, Norway's head coach gave him rest in the last match of the group stage. Haaland was absent in that match, which Norway lost 4-1, and football fans did not get to see the much-anticipated competition between him and Kylian Mbappé.< /p>

He returned to the team against Ivory Coast. He was under tight surveillance by the opponent's defense throughout the game. He touched the ball only 27 times and made only nine successful passes. But even though he didn't get many chances, he didn't fail to fulfill his main responsibility. By scoring the decisive goal, he took Norway to the Round of 16.< /p>

Now Norway will face five-time world champion Brazil. Looking at Haaland's incredible scoring form, it will not be easy for Brazil to stop him either. Haaland has averaged 1.13 goals per game for the national team. That is, he has maintained a rare average of scoring a goal every 72 minutes.< /p>

This achievement of his is even more special because Norway was not among the top nations in world football when he started playing for the national team. He made his national team debut in September 2019 at the age of 19 against Malta in a 2-0 victory. Since then, even though Norway has not continuously achieved success in major tournaments, Haaland has maintained his scoring form.< /p>

However, there is another side to his scoring record. Haaland has not yet scored against the traditional powerhouses of world football for the national team. He scored three goals in two matches against Italy in this World Cup qualifying round. However, Italy is a team that has failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups.< /p>

Before the golden generation emerged, Norway often had the opportunity to compete against teams of weaker caliber. Therefore, many of Haaland's goals have come against such teams. For example, he scored five goals in an 11-1 victory against Moldova.< /p>

In this regard, the decisive goal against Ivory Coast is an excellent start for Haaland, but his real test is about to begin.< /p>

The match against Brazil in the Round of 16 will test not only his individual ability but also his capacity to make an impact in decisive moments against powerful nations in world football. If he can maintain his scoring form there as well, he will not only answer his critics but also strengthen Norway's chances of reaching greater heights in the World Cup.< /p>