Haaland is the engine that drives Norway - four pieces in the network of brave Iraqis

A good start for Norway at the World Cup in terms of results, but the question remains what would have happened if Iraq had used one of the goals at the end of the first half.

The "Vikings" ultimately convincingly defeated the "Lions of Mesopotamia" in the first round of Group I - 4:1.

Once again, it was confirmed that Erling Haaland is the main driving force behind the game of Stole Solbakken's team - when the Iraqis reached an equalizer, the Manchester City striker smelled a mistake in the rival's defense and returned the advantage to his team.

Nothing happened until the 25th minute and a hydration break. However, it was as if the "timeout" that FIFA introduced at this championship had woken up both teams.

Almost a minute and a half after the break, the Iraqis' net shook. Antonio Nusa played past David Wolfe on the left, the Wolverhampton defender immediately crossed, and Haaland was ready in the box.

It was clear from the start that Iraq were not just out to defend and they showed a bit of their offensive prowess in the 39th minute. Ali Jasim played past Amir Al Amari, escaped the defense of the Norwegian midfielder Krakovija, crossed, and from five meters Aymen Hussein spread everyone around him and sent the ball into the net with a heavenly leap.

The joy of the "Lions of Mesopotamia" fans did not last long. In the 43rd minute, Iraqi defender Zaid Tahsin sent a short pass towards goalkeeper Jalal Hassan. Haaland sensed it, rushed towards the ball, and the goalkeeper, in his desire to shoot the ball, hit a Manchester City player, from whom the ball bounced into the goal.

Just as they did after the first goal, Graham Arnold's team showed courage after the second. They went on the attack and had three great chances in first-half stoppage time.

First, in the 48th minute, Ibrahim Baješ's shot was blocked by Wolfe and saved a clean sheet. Then, three minutes later, they had two great chances in the space of a few seconds. First, Ali Al Hamadi went alone in front of Orjan Niland, but his shot was blocked. Right after that corner, the ball bounced to the edge of the Norwegian penalty area, from where Akam Hashem volleyed it in - just a few centimetres over the bar.

The second half was soporific. It seemed that the Norwegians wanted to calm down the pace, and that the Iraqis did not have enough quality or strength to do anything serious going forward.

The hopes of the "Lions of Mesopotamia" to get a point or even a turnaround were dashed in the 76th minute. Martin Edegor crossed from a corner to the near post, and reserve player Leo Ostigard was ready to pounce for 3:1.

The final score was set in the 96th minute. After a cross from the right, Haaland jumped, returned the ball to the crowd, and it hit the scorer of the only goal for Iraq Hussein and went into the net.