Haaland vs Brazil at the Azteca: The Round of 16 Match That Rewrites Sunday Mornings

[FairDos96]

Norway face Brazil in the round of 16 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday July 5 at 4pm ET, 9pm BST, a fixture that gives British and European audiences a more reasonable window than England's 1am Azteca encounter. Erling Haaland, who scored his 60th Norway goal in the 86th minute against Ivory Coast to send his country to their first World Cup last 16 since 1998, faces the five-time world champions who survived Japan's pressure only through a 96th-minute Martinelli winner in the round of 32.

The tactical contest is one of the most fascinating in the bracket. Norway under Stale Solbakken play direct, physical, transition-focused football built around the specific threat that Haaland represents when the ball is played into his area. Brazil under Dorival Junior have struggled to maintain defensive shape when pressed high, as Japan demonstrated with their excellent first-half performance that took a 96th-minute winner to overcome. Haaland pressing Brazil's defensive line and receiving balls in behind is the situation Brazil fear most and Norway will try to manufacture as often as possible.

Haaland's individual record at this tournament is one of five goals in four games, an average that puts him alongside Mbappe and Messi as the only players in contention for the Golden Boot with meaningful games still to play. If Norway advance and Haaland scores against Brazil, the Golden Boot conversation becomes genuinely three-way with the difference coming down to how deep each player's team goes and how many games remain. The Brazil-Norway match is the Sunday afternoon viewing that people will cancel other plans for.

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