Haaland at double, Nyland stars in goal as Norway eliminate Brazil

Before tonight if you googled Brazil + World Cups + ponytail, the profound image of Roberto Baggio, hands on hips, his 'divine ponytail' head bowed after missing the decisive spot kick in the 1994 final, would have featured prominently in the searches.

Now, the ponytail divinity stack has been updated, and a couple of Vikings should feature alongside the crestfallen Italian icon. One is the striker Erling Haaland, with an unmistakable blonde, slicked-back ponytail and the other is the goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, with his locks neatly tucked into a bun.

The two warriors had decisive impacts at either ends of the pitch to send Norway through to the quarterfinals the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 2-1 win over Brazil in New Jersey.

Haaland scored twice, with a thumping header in the 79^th minute, and a whiplash of a left-footer in the 90^th while Nyland saved a penalty in the 14^th minute and called bluff on almost every other Brazilian trick with a handful of outstanding saves.

The one kick that Nyland couldn’t pick was a late Neymar penalty in the 10^th minute of added time (7 minutes). It was just a consolation for the Brazilians, and merely a postcard moment for their talisman, who was introduced off the bench in the 67^th minute. Neymar, still lacking match fitness, had played just 15 minutes across the group stages, and now he’s got nothing to play for.