Norway Shock Brazil, Make History on Erling Haaland's Heroic Brace

Norway's forward #09 Erling Braut Haaland plays the drum as Norway celebrates winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 5, 2026.  (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
Norway's forward #09 Erling Braut Haaland plays the drum as Norway celebrates winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 5, 2026. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
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Norway Shock Brazil, Make History on Erling Haaland's Heroic Brace

Norway's forward #09 Erling Braut Haaland plays the drum as Norway celebrates winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 5, 2026.  (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
Norway's forward #09 Erling Braut Haaland plays the drum as Norway celebrates winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Brazil and Norway at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 5, 2026. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)

Finishing chances is just what Erling Haaland does. And on Sunday, that was enough to give Norway their biggest win in World Cup history.

Haaland powered in a 79th-minute header and added a second in the 90th minute as Norway stunned Brazil 2-1 to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal at the expense of the five-time champions.

Kept under wraps for most of the round of 16 fixture, Haaland's sixth and seventh goals of the tournament sent Brazil to their earliest exit since being eliminated in the round of 16 in 1990.

He's now tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe for the tournament lead.

"I mean, it's like things normally are," the imposing 25-year-old center forward explained, via an interpreter. "If I have a chance or two, then very often I score. I'm not quite sure, but this is what I do. It's all about being focused and taking the chances I get. And I normally get them even if I don't score on the first one."

Norway's Orjan Nyland made four stops, including a diving denial of Bruno Guimaraes' 14th-minute penalty kick. The 34-year-old Neymar converted a second late spot ⁠kick deep in ⁠second-half stoppage time in what will be his final appearance for Brazil, he announced after the match.

Norway will now face England in a quarterfinal in Miami Gardens, Fla., on July 11 after the Three Lions beat Mexico 2-1 later on Sunday.

"I never thought about it," Norway manager Stale Solbakken said of reaching this stage. "I just thought that we needed to proceed from the group stage. And then, of course, it's the next game, and now it was Brazil.

"I told the boys that maybe we didn't have a 50-50 chance today, but if we can play up to our best, then ⁠we have a 50-50 chance."

The result maintained one of the all-time World Cup oddities, the Nordic nation's perfect 2-0-0 record against the Selecao in the competition. The other victory in 1998, also a 2-1 Norway triumph, came in a group-stage finale after Brazil had already secured passage to the knockout phase.

Haaland's first came after an extended stretch in which Carlo Ancelotti's side looked more likely to score.

Just seconds after coming into the match, the 19-year-old Endrick missed Brazil's best chance of the afternoon, getting his footing all wrong and firing wide after reaching Vinicius Junior's excellent throughball in the 59th minute, Reuters reported.

Nyland also denied Rayan and Guimaraes after the break before Norway turned the tables in the final 15 minutes and guaranteed Brazil's World Cup drought would extend to at least 28 years.

"Obviously, everyone is profoundly disappointed, given what happened," said Ancelotti, who took over the program in late spring of 2025. "We didn't do a spectacular World Cup ⁠campaign, but we did a ⁠good one, and we even deserved to win the match at some points today."

Less than five minutes after Andreas Schjelderup forced Alisson into a 75th- minute stop, he found Haaland with a looping cross from the left. Haaland rose above Gabriel Magalhaes and nodded downward beyond Alisson's dive.

The same duo combined 11 minutes later to seal it. Schjelderup provided the square ball from the left, and Haaland controlled it and snapped a low, right- footed shot into the bottom right corner.

Afterward, he was given the honor of leading the minority of Norway fans in the building in their now-famous Viking Row celebration, and he had advice for his countrymen across the Atlantic.

"Everyone just needs to enjoy themselves," the Manchester City man said. "This is just an insane day. Like I said, it's one of the most insane days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it. Embrace it and enjoy the moment."

Early on, American referee Ismail Elfath originally waved play on following Kristoffer Ajer's penalty-area tackle on Matheus Cunha, only to reverse his decision and point to the spot following a look at the replay monitor.

Guimaraes stepped to the spot, hesitated and fired toward the bottom right corner, where Nyland made a strong diving save.



Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.


Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Andreeva Says She Is Learning to Move on Faster from Defeats After WTA Finals Sweep

Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Mirra Andreeva plays Diana Shnaider during day six of the FAGE WTA Finals at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 13, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mirra Andreeva said she has learned to recover more quickly from setbacks after the Russian teenager completed an unbeaten run through the WTA Finals round-robin stage on Friday.

Andreeva won her third group-stage match in straight sets after a late opponent change, having already secured a semi-final berth. The 19-year-old said the match against tournament alternate Diana Shnaider presented a new mental challenge because her progression was guaranteed, but she still wanted to preserve her momentum.

"Before the tournament started I was afraid ‌that I ‌wouldn't win a match in the group," ‌Andreeva ⁠told reporters. "Now you ⁠see how it turned out."

The victory set up a first career meeting with American Jessica Pegula on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on tour and said coach Conchita Martinez would help prepare a detailed tactical plan.

Andreeva's poise in the desert marked a contrast with her emotional ⁠exit from Indian Wells in March, when ‌she lost her title defense ‌to Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, Andreeva launched into a profanity-laced ‌tirade toward spectators and was booed as she left ‌the court.

The French Open champion said her response to losses has changed significantly over the course of the season.

"Before it was super bad. I was very dramatic," Andreeva said. "It would take me a ‌good two, three days. I wouldn't talk to anybody. I would just sit in the ⁠room locked ⁠up, not wanting to practice."

Now, she said, disappointment generally lasts a day at most before the demands of the tour force her attention back to training or the next match.

Andreeva said the Indian Wells setback came while she was trying to incorporate changes made in practice into her match play, which produced inconsistency and frustration. She said continued work on court, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.

The results have followed. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year and arrived at the WTA Finals for her singles debut after a 50-win season.