Erling Haaland was the star of the match, scoring two goals in his debut at a World Cup event. The Manchester City striker opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a left-footed shot inside the area after an assist from David Møller Wolfe.
Iraq equalized in the 39th minute through Aymen Hussein, who scored with a header to restore equality on the scoreboard.
However, Haaland appeared again before the break. In the 43rd minute he took advantage of an error in the ball release by the Iraqi defense and scored with his right foot to return the lead to the Norwegian team.
In the second half, Norway increased the lead in the 76th minute with a header from Leo Østigård after a corner kick taken by Martin Ødegaard. The fourth goal came in the 90+7 minute and sealed the final 4-1 for the Scandinavian team.
With this result, Norway added its first three points in Group I, which also includes France and Senegal. Iraq, which returned to a World Cup after 40 years, showed the ability to react in some passages of the match, but was unable to contain the Norwegian attack.
Haaland completed an outstanding debut in the tournament. The double allowed him to extend his record as Norway’s all-time top scorer and place himself among the top scorers of the World Cup in its first days.
For the team led by Ståle Solbakken, the victory represents a positive start in its goal of advancing to the knockout phase in its first World Cup participation since France 1998.