Sunday, July 5 recap — Haaland floors Brazil, England survive the Azteca

Sunday, July 5 served up the madness the Round of 16 promised. Brazil, five-time world champions, fell to Norway and an Erling Haaland who stayed silent for 78 minutes before taking the whole thing away. Then, overnight, England pulled off one of the finest results in their history: winning with ten men in the Azteca cauldron. The upshot is a quarter-final every Arsenal fan will circle.

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Brazil 1-2 Norway — Haaland strikes when nobody expected him to

(Facts — sources: ESPN, Sofascore.)

For a long time, this looked like a nightmare for Norway. Outplayed? Not really: the Scandinavians kept the ball and let Brazil lean on set pieces and two penalties. The first, as early as the 14th minute, saw Ørjan Nyland push away Bruno Guimarães’ effort, ending a 40-year streak of Brazil converting every World Cup penalty. The match stretched on, tense and finely balanced.

And then Haaland. Invisible for more than 78 minutes, the Norwegian striker erupted twice in eleven minutes: a header on 79 from a Schjelderup cross after getting the better of Gabriel Magalhães, then a low, ruthless finish on 90 that beat Alisson. Neymar’s penalty deep in stoppage time (90+8) was mere consolation. Brazil’s earliest World Cup exit since 1990.

3 key numbers:

• 7 goals for Haaland at this World Cup — he joins Mbappé and Messi at the top of the scoring chart.
• 14th minute — Bruno Guimarães’ missed penalty, saved by Nyland.
• First-ever quarter-final in Norway’s history.

Gunners spotlight: mixed emotions for Arsenal. Martin Ødegaard, as captain, drives Norway to a maiden quarter-final — a huge moment for him. On the other side, Gabriel Magalhães (beaten by Haaland for the opener) and Gabriel Martinelli, the best-rated Brazilian on the night, leave the tournament with their heads high.

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Mexico 2-3 England — ten men, and still standing

(Facts — sources: ESPN, Opta, NBC.)

You had to live it. A boiling Azteca, a whole crowd behind Mexico, and an England side that ended up playing more than 40 minutes a man down after Jarell Quansah’s straight red (54’, dangerous challenge). On paper, the perfect trap. Except Jude Bellingham had already turned it all around before the break: two goals in 98 seconds (36’, 37’), the first a header from a pinpoint Bukayo Saka cross, the second from a Kane pass.

Mexico never stopped coming. Quiñones pulled one back with a volley just before half-time (42’), then Raúl Jiménez revived the drama from the spot (69’), after Kane had converted his own penalty on the hour (60’). But the England wall, down to ten, held firm. England’s best-ever away win, per ESPN.

3 key numbers:

• 98 seconds between Bellingham’s two goals — enough to swing the tie.
• 54th minute — Quansah’s red, condemning England to finish with ten.
• 33% possession for England, their lowest in a World Cup match since 1966.

Gunners spotlight: Bukayo Saka claims the assist on the opener, a cross dropped right onto Bellingham’s head. Alongside Rice, Eze and Madueke, all four English Gunners punch their ticket to the quarters.

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Bracket box — an all-Arsenal quarter-final

(Source: official FIFA bracket, verified ESPN / FotMob.)

The day’s two winners meet in the quarter-finals: England – Norway, Saturday, July 11 in Miami. In other words, Saka, Rice, Eze and Madueke against their own club captain, Martin Ødegaard. An Arsenal derby dropped into a World Cup quarter-final, with a red-hot Haaland to watch very closely.

On the other side of the draw, the first quarter-final was already set: France – Morocco, Thursday, July 9 in Boston, with William Saliba marshalling France’s back line. Four last-16 ties remain before Tuesday: Portugal-Spain and USA-Belgium on Monday, Argentina-Egypt and Switzerland-Colombia on Tuesday.

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GG’s take

(Opinion.)

Two matches, two opposite emotions, but one common thread: nothing is ever settled until the final minute.

Brazil paid dearly for a lack of ruthlessness. Two penalties, one missed, a far higher xG, and yet an exit. That’s the brutal logic of knockout football: you need a finisher who doesn’t forgive, and tonight that finisher wore Norwegian colours. Haaland reminded everyone that eleven minutes can be enough to topple a giant. And for us, watching Ødegaard carry his country this far is a real supporter’s joy.

England, meanwhile, showed a different quality entirely: character. Winning at the Azteca, with ten men, under that kind of pressure, forges a team. Bellingham was immense, but it’s the collective resilience that will linger. And now this quarter-final: England-Norway, four Gunners against one. If you love Arsenal, you couldn’t script a tastier tie.

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