Erling Haaland Closes in On Norway Record After Brace vs Cyprus

• Haaland scored twice on Thursday, October 12 as Norway beat Cyprus 4-0
• His goals placed him second in the list of Norway’s all-time goal scorers
• The Manchester City star has now scored 27 goals in 27 games for his country

Erling Haaland is closing in on history for his national team thanks to his brace against Cyprus on Thursday, October 12.

Norway’s comprehensive performance in the Euro 2024 qualifier kept their slim qualification hopes alive, as the 4-0 win forced Scotland to wait in their quest to qualify for the tournament slated for next summer.

Alexander Sorloth and Fredrik Aursnes were the other players who got on the score sheet on Thursday.

The win came with a personal landmark for Haaland as he climbed to second in his nation’s all-time goal scorers’ list, surpassing the nation’s legend Einar Gundersen.

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His two strikes in quick sucession took his tally for Norway to 27 goals, which is an incredible feat in itself since the Man City striker has only played 27 times for his country.

According to Transfermakt, Norway’s all-time goal scorer is Jørgen Juve , whose record of 33 goals for his country has stood for decades.

Haaland is only six goals behind the record, and at only 22 years of age, he is bound to break a record and possibly set another one that will stand for years.

His two goals against Cyprus will also boost Haaland’s confidence, as the striker has been in a rut by his own standards for Manchester City.

He has gone three games without a goal for his club, as his last strike was in a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest on September 23.

Meanwhile, Norway will face Spain on Sunday, October 15, knowing failure to win that game will automatically give Group A rivals Scotland qualification to Euro 2024 as per Sky Sports.

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Neymar pelted with popcorn

Still on international news, Sports Brief reported on Neymar’s confrontation with a fan after the Brazil forward was pelted with popcorn.

Brazil could only secure a point against Venezuela this time around with Arsenal defender, Gabriel Magalhaes scoring his first goal for his country from a Neymar assist five minutes into the second half.

As Neymar was making his way into the tunnel after the game, he was pelted with popcorn and what appeared to be a paper carton.