Erling Haaland struck twice in the first half to give Norway a 2-1 lead over Iraq in an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 29th minute, finishing off a move created by David Wolfe to put the visitors in front. Norway continued to dominate possession and looked dangerous whenever they pushed forward.
Iraq responded positively and found an equaliser ten minutes later. Ahmed Hussein brought the hosts level in the 39th minute after being set up by Ali Al-Ammari, sending the Iraqi supporters into celebration.
However, parity lasted only four minutes as Haaland restored Norway’s advantage in unusual fashion. The Iraqi goalkeeper appeared to hesitate after receiving a back pass, allowing the alert Manchester City forward to close him down aggressively. Under pressure from the onrushing Haaland, the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance struck the Norwegian striker and ricocheted into the net, handing Norway a 2-1 lead in the 43rd minute.
Norway have enjoyed the better of the first half, controlling 62 percent of possession and registering seven shots compared to Iraq’s four. With Haaland already on a brace, Norway head into the interval with momentum firmly on their side, while Iraq face the task of finding another response after the restart.
