Norway 4-1 Iraq: Haaland marks World Cup debut with brace as Vikings' right-flank weakness exposed in Group I opener

Norway's first World Cup win of the century — and Erling Haaland's long-awaited debut in the competition — arrived in positive fashion on Tuesday. In their opening Group I fixture, the Scandinavians beat Iraq 4-1 thanks to two goals from their star striker and one from Leo Ostigard. Both of Haaland's goals came in the first half, entirely in keeping with his typical style of play.

Iraq fought hard and produced a decent display, managing 11 shots to Norway's 12, and created danger beyond Aymen Hussein's headed goal — the striker who was held and questioned by US authorities for seven hours upon his arrival in the host nation. The Norwegian victory reinforced their greatest strengths, which should give plenty of top-ranked nations cause for concern, but it also laid bare their most significant vulnerability.

How the match unfolded

The first half contained a number of contrasting passages of play. Iraq were the more dangerous side to begin with, finding space through long balls, but the cooling break proved a turning point for Norway, who opened the scoring shortly after it and then came close to extending their lead through Alexander Sorloth, blocked by the defence, and Martin Odegaard, who blazed over.

The Iraqis, however, showed considerable resilience. They brought the ball down to feet to draw level and, despite the build-up error that allowed Norway to retake the lead, pushed hard late in the half to at least restore parity.

A more subdued second half — slower and with fewer attempts at goal — was settled by set pieces. Odegaard's corner delivery found Ostigard for the header, and a further aerial delivery in stoppage time resulted in an own goal from Hussein.

Norway's pace, pressing and set-piece delivery prove decisive

Norway's opening goal perfectly encapsulated the side's greatest collective weapon: rapid transition play. After drawing the press in their own half, Sorloth dropped deep and played a touch that relieved the pressure and opened up the pitch, leading to a swift move capped by Haaland sliding in to poke home in the six-yard box from David Moller Wolfe's cross.

Norway's other key attribute is their off-the-ball intensity. Beyond his obvious offensive output, Haaland's work rate without the ball is a huge asset for his country. He pressed Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan and capitalised on Zaid Tahseen's error in possession to claim his second.

In the second half, another dimension came to the fore. Averaging 1.88m in height throughout the squad, Norway can also rely on Odegaard's set-piece delivery — honed at Arsenal, widely regarded as the finest set-piece side in the world — to break down stubborn opponents, whether from corners or free-kicks. The midfielder delivered a corner perfectly for Ostigard to convert. A Haaland flick from a cross provided the fourth.

Addressing a defensive flaw could take Norway even further

Not everything was rosy, however. Iraq enjoyed some encouraging moments in direct play and, most notably, Norway were caught out on the right-hand side defensively. With Odegaard operating as the right-side midfielder who drifts inside to add to the central unit, attacking right-back Julian Ryerson is required to push high and provide width. Lose possession there and a motorway opens up behind him.

For Iraq's goal, Ali Jasim drew his marker with a clever move before releasing Amir Al-Ammari, who exploited Odegaard's failure to track back and crossed for Hussein to head home.

Addressing this — whether through greater defensive discipline from Odegaard, deploying Sorloth to recover across that flank, or using a right winger in place of the Atletico Madrid forward or third midfielder Fredrik Aursnes — could give Norway a more balanced shape with fewer weaknesses to exploit.

Norway top Group I on goal difference ahead of France, who beat Senegal 3-1 earlier in the day. Their transition play, pressing and set-piece threat could prove decisive in such a competitive group — and these are attributes that could trouble even the heaviest of hitters in the knockout rounds, potentially including a last-16 encounter with Brazil.