Vikings row into quarterfinals

Erling Haaland scored, and Andreas Schjelderup jumped on his teammate's back. Haaland scored again, and Schjelderup did it again.

The weight was nothing for the towering Norway striker who, after heading in the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute, and scoring again before the end of regulation time, had carried his nation into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever with a 2-1 defeat of Brazil in New Jersey on Sunday.

"Maybe this will write history in Norway," Haaland said. "Everyone just need to enjoy themselves. This is just an insane day. It's one of the most insane days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it, embrace it and enjoy the moment."

After being a nonfactor for much of the afternoon and having limited touches, Haaland spoke at the second-half hydration break with coach Stale Solbakken, who told him to drain his energy and go for it.

Haaland turned it on when it mattered most, getting the right side of his head on the ball after a perfect setup by Schjelderup, who entered at halftime. Barely minutes later, Haaland scored his seventh of the tournament, through Danilo's legs, to tie Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.

"It felt it was a gift from God that it actually went into the net," Haaland said after scoring in a 14th consecutive competitive international match. He has 27 goals in that stretch, and 62 overall in 54 appearances for Norway.

At the other end, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland was stellar. He made a crucial stop early, diving to his left to deny Bruno Guimaraes' shot from the spot in the 14th minute, then got his left hand on a shot by Endrick late on, when Norway was hanging on to a one-goal lead.

The only goal Nyland allowed was to Neymar on another penalty, late in stoppage time, which only changed the final score, not the result.

The 34-year-old said the defeat would be his final game for Brazil.

Nyland, who at 35 is his team's oldest player, was a huge factor in a victory that ranks among the most significant in the country's soccer history — at least on the men's side.

Norway's women won the World Cup in 1995, but the men have only qualified four times and not since 1998. In those four attempts, the men had not gone further than the round of 16.

"I think that all Norwegians are experiencing the night of a lifetime," Solbakken said. "Some people say that we have changed Norway forever. They will probably party for a week or so."

Norway will now go on to face England on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Solbakken said he had more than a dozen friends already booking trips to South Florida.

For Brazil, though, the postmortem of another World Cup disappointment begins, and will likely start with Guimaraes, who became the first Brazil player to fail to convert a World Cup penalty since Zico in 1986. The decision to have him take it instead of Vinicius Junior may be questioned and criticized for quite some time.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti said that he and his staff did a yearlong statistical study that determined, with Neymar not on the field and Raphinha injured, Guimaraes was the right choice.

There were plenty of other missed opportunities, including Casemiro missing Neymar on a cross for what could have been the tying goal.

"We really fell short in the opportunities that we did create," captain Marquinhos said. "We had a penalty kick, we had some other chances as well, but here's the World Cup for you. Those that make the least mistakes are able to move forward to the next round, and to be victorious."

Some will also point to the absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

Regardless, Brazil goes home having massively underachieved compared with the nation's expectations, which were pretty much set at win or bust for the five-time World Cup champion.

The soccer powerhouse had its streak of quarterfinal appearances at the tournament end at eight, losing before that stage for the first time since 1990.

It was Brazil's seventh consecutive loss to a European opponent in the knockout round at the World Cup, dating back to a win over Germany in the 2002 final.

Norway got defender Julian Ryerson back from his injury that sidelined him the past two games, and Solbakken was rewarded for making changes at halftime, with Schjelderup setting up each of Haaland's goals.

"During the game, you have to make the calls and decisions that you feel are appropriate," Solbakken said.

"It's a gut feeling that Oscar (Bobb) and Andreas might make a difference, and I felt more secure, with them on the pitch, in the way I wanted us to play the second half. And, then, you saw what happened."

Those moves played a role in what is certainly one of this World Cup's big upsets, though it was not nearly as massive as Norway's group stage victory over Brazil at the 1998 tournament by the same scoreline.

Norway has shown how far it has evolved as a soccer nation since then, with knocking Brazil out of the World Cup the latest step in that process.

Yellow-clad Selecao fans outnumbered those in Norwegian red, many of whom were performing their signature "Viking Row" in the stands — with Brazil supporters even cheering it before kickoff. They were stunned silent when it returned after the game, with Haaland banging the drum and leading the celebration.

"I've peaked a couple of times during this tournament, but this was a new peak," Haaland said.

AP