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Being a football nation, Brazil may be the crowd or fan favourite to win, but today, one thing became certain. Haaland’s humility will be the highlight, which I believe, helped propel Norway to edge Brazil. Downing a five-time World Cup clincher is no easy feat, but from today onwards, especially, the Haaland effect will intensify, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming matches.

If you’ve watched the post-match interview, you’d have seen Haaland interrupted by his opponent Vinicius Jr. It’s impressive that Haaland took some time off his response slot to give the Brazilian player a genuine hug, and not once, did Haaland look irritated by the slight pause. May this be a lesson for the Brazilians, even though they may still be feeling frustrated and angry by the defeat. For every game, there will surely be winners and losers. A loss today does not mean a loss forever. The same can be said for winners. A win today doesn’t mean you’ll take the top spot forever. Hence, ultimately, humility always wins.  

Of course, for Haaland, he deserves all the celebrations. His own father played for the World Cup in 1994, along with two other teammates, who now also have sons representing the new generation of Norwegian football players (two forwards and one midfielder) at the 2026 World Cup. The goalkeeper also deserves a pat on the back for making many spectacular saves, not just in this match, but other games in the World Cup as well. But I think for Haaland, he remains principled and rooted. He’ll always remember to be humble, even if he’s now on par with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Like he said it himself, he has to still pinch himself time and time again to believe that he had won against Brazil.

Even if Haaland doesn’t take home the World Cup, we all know the power of the Internet and how the Haaland effect can impact the world of football. It’s still a well-deserved win and he can give himself an early birthday present.

In fact, based on sources, Haaland already has plans to have a small farm with a few goats and cows, and he will feed them using his tractor as an aid, assuming he steps away from the limelight and retires for good when his time comes. If this is really true, which I think is quite likely to happen, knowing how he carries himself and treats team members, opponents and fans, then he deserves my respect.

After all, the last time they were at the World Cup was in 1998 against an older generation of Brazilian footballers, when they were through only until the Round of 16. With this different kind of win, Haaland has secured his team a place in the quarter finals – the first in 28 years.

Based on past matches, Norway has never lost against Brazil, making it a must-watch for the Round of 16 for fans across the globe. This morning, Haaland was given the honour to perform the drum-beating, part of the "Viking Row", which is an indirect indication of how intense the next match is going to be.

There’s no telling of how the next quarter-final match against England is going to be like. As with most spectacular matches, the ball can work in anyone’s favour. They say, football is a strange game. But I suspect it’s going to be another one that will leave you gasping, at the edge of your seat. I’m just hoping there’s nothing too exaggerated from either side. Too much drama is time and resources wasted, not only for the players, but for both the fans watching in-person, and fans who are watching through their smart TVs or devices.

England has booked a spot in the quarter-finals, after a 101-minute fight against Mexico. Since England emerged the victors versus the Mexicans, England will meet Norway in less than a week.
 

Will Norway’s strategy of being humble yet strong when needed work in their favour to beat England? Or will England pull off some tricks and an upset?

It’ll be more fun and exciting to see the row, once again, though.


But we can only find out come Sunday 12 July 2026, 5AM MYT.