By Philip O'Connor
June 16 (Reuters) - Carrying the hopes of his nation on his shoulders, Norway striker Erling Haaland announced his arrival at the World Cup in typically emphatic fashion, with two goals in a majestic display as his side hammered Iraq 4-1 on Tuesday.
The irrepressible Haaland's first-half double means he has now scored on his debut in the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, the Champions League and the World Cup finals, and few doubted that he would deliver on the biggest
international stage.
Despite the scoreline, Norway struggled to stamp their authority on the game and there were plenty of miscues and poor passes, but Haaland saved the day, stepping up and scoring the first and second goals that set his side on course for victory.
In an otherwise very open Norway camp, Haaland rarely speaks to the media, preferring instead to let his goals do the talking, and no matter what Iraq tried in the first half, they couldn't keep him silent.
His first goal was a classic poacher's finish from David Moller Wolfe's ball across the box, and his second came about after his pressure on the Iraqi defence forced a weak back-pass, and he blocked the goalkeeper's attempted clearance into the net.
As Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere pointed out the day before the game, individuals score goals but teams win matches, and everyone in Stale Solbakken's side has the same attacking purpose - put Haaland in a position to score, and let him do the rest.
But not everyone managed to do so in Norway's first game at a men's World Cup finals since 1998, and captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard was surprisingly quiet in midfield, while the defence was caught ball-watching for Iraq's equaliser from Aymen Hussein.
The result puts Norway on top of the group on three points, ahead of France, who beat Senegal 3-1 earlier in the day, on goal difference, and Haaland warned that his side will have to perform much better.
For now, he and the Norwegian fans will take a moment to celebrate their winning return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence.
"It's fantastic. Everyone expected us to win and fortunately we did, no banana skins. I don't know what time it is in Norway, but I hope people are partying a bit," Haaland grinned.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor in Vancouver; additional reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
