Erling Haaland had one of the most dramatic nights of his international career on Saturday. The Manchester City star missed two penalties for Norway but still managed to walk away with a hat trick in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying rout of Israel.
The match in Oslo began with frustration for the Norwegian striker. Haaland’s first spot-kick was stopped by Israel’s goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, but referee Szymon Marciniak ordered a retake after Peretz moved off his line too early. On his second attempt, Haaland aimed for the opposite corner—only for Peretz to guess correctly again and make another save.
Despite the double miss, Haaland found his rhythm soon after. He opened his scoring account before halftime with a low strike from Alexander Sørloth’s pass, giving Norway a 2-0 cushion. The 24-year-old added two more goals later in the match, finishing with his 12th goal of the qualifying campaign—more than any other player in UEFA competition.
The treble also pushed Haaland’s international total to 51 goals, cementing his status as Norway’s all-time leading scorer. He reached the 50-goal milestone in just 46 appearances—faster than Harry Kane (71 games), Neymar (74), and Kylian Mbappé (90). For comparison, Lionel Messi needed 107 games to hit 50 for Argentina, while Cristiano Ronaldo took 114 for Portugal.
Norway’s perfect record continues, with six wins out of six in Group I. They now sit nine points clear of Italy, though the Italians still have a slim chance of catching them for the automatic World Cup berth. Norway hasn’t appeared at a World Cup since 1998, but qualification looks well within reach this time.
Before kickoff, peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place near the stadium. Protesters carried signs, waved red cards, and chanted slogans, though police kept a calm distance. About 22,000 fans filled the reduced-capacity venue, with some seating areas closed for security reasons.
It was a night of missed chances, redemption, and records—and once again, Erling Haaland found a way to make the headlines.
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