Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s international record book was broken on Thursday as Erling Haaland surpassed him to become the top-scoring Nordic male player in international football. It was another game for the books as the Manchester City striker scored the memorable of the 3-2 Nations League triumph over Denmark. It was Haaland who netted twice, including Norway’s second goal in the 18th minute and the winning one in the 74th.
This brace pushed his Norway record to 64 goals in 56 appearances – ahead of Ibrahimovic’s 62 goals in 122 appearances for Sweden. Haaland has now surpassed Brazil icon Ronaldo with 62 goals to his name. The goal marks Haaland’s continued impressive scoring form since his first appearance at the senior Norway level back in 2019. He has the international side averaging over a point per game, which is an amazing resurgence at the international level.
After the game, Norway coach Stale Solbakken had nothing but praise for the striker’s natural finishing ability, stating that his goalscoring instinct is something that can’t be taught. Norwegian midfielder Sander Berge also said he was impressed, recalling that Haaland’s goals have become almost a fixture these days and just how special his latest number is. Haaland’s first World Cup was a historic one for Norway, who reached the quarter-finals after he had picked up seven goals in the tournament before being eliminated by England.
Now that he has gone back to the international stage, he has created yet another big record. But Norway’s win was more significant than Haaland’s. To them, it was their first competitive victory over Denmark, adding to the significance of their milestone. Denmark will get its chance to respond on the next occasion they clash on the 17th November, the final game of the group stage in the Nations League.
