Erling Haaland scored a vital goal in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32, leading Norway to overcome the Ivory Coast and secure a spot in the round of 16.
Although this is Haaland’s first-ever appearance at a World Cup tournament, the striker has already managed to achieve something that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to do in five previous editions with Portugal.
Haaland found the back of the net in a World Cup knockout match—a feat that may sound simple, yet one that Ronaldo has never accomplished for his country.
Ronaldo has featured in eight knockout games for Portugal across the 2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022 editions, but failed to score a single goal in any of them. In contrast, Haaland needed just one knockout appearance against the Ivory Coast to score a priceless goal, setting up a highly anticipated clash between Norway and Brazil next Sunday.
However, Ronaldo will have a golden opportunity to break this curse when Portugal faces Croatia in the Round of 32 this coming Friday.
Notably, Kylian Mbappé remains the all-time top scorer in World Cup knockout stages with 8 goals, while Lionel Messi has scored 5 goals in 12 knockout matches throughout his career.
