Haaland: Norway's World Cup triumph against Brazil exceeds my wildest expectations

Norway's Erling Haaland expressed astonishment at his team's 2-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup last 16 on Sunday, describing it as an achievement he had never envisioned.

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Haaland's double strike propelled Norway into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, bringing his tournament goal tally to seven, a figure that puts him on par with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot contest.

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Reflecting on the victory, Haaland confessed that he had never dared to dream of such a feat, having only aspired to play in the World Cup and help Norway qualify for the tournament.

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Haaland admitted that defeating Brazil had seemed like an impossible task, but the outcome proved him wrong, as Norway preserved their impressive unbeaten record against the five-time world champions, with three wins and two draws in five encounters.

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Norway will now face England in Miami on July 11, with a semi-final spot at stake, while Brazil's early exit marks their worst World Cup performance since their loss to Argentina in the last 16 in 1990.

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At just 25 years old, Haaland has already amassed 62 goals in 54 appearances for Norway, and he described the experience of scoring seven World Cup goals for his country as "incredible" and "surreal".

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Haaland struggled to find the words to express his emotions, describing the feeling as "unreal" and stating that he needed to "pinch himself" to process the enormity of the achievement.