Norway have completed a huge upset by sending Brazil out of the World Cup in the round of 16, and it won’t have come as a surprise to one New York Knick — NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
Erling Haaland led the charge with a stunning brace to draw level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race, and to give his side a two-goal cushion that a late Neymar penalty couldn’t catch.
And it’s the Manchester City star who was the topic in question when Josh Hart sent a message to his Knicks teammate after the game on Sunday.
Josh Hart was not familiar with Haaland’s game, Jalen Brunson was
It was a masterclass from Haaland. Two more goals to add to a ridiculous international record — now 62 goals in 54 games.
The first was a smart header after a perfectly-timed run got him in front of Gabriel, and the second was a thunderbolt of a strike to take the game out of reach.
Sharing a screenshot of the World Cup top scorers chart on X, which showed Haaland at the very top, Hart wrote: “I was wrong. You were right @jalenbrunson1.”
It seems as though Hart wasn’t convinced by Haaland, or at the very least hadn’t watched enough of him to expect seven goals in five games at the tournament. But Haaland is that good, and Brunson must have known.
Norway are into the last eight of the World Cup for the first time in their history, and it’s fair to say Haaland has taken them there. It’s a good side around him, sure, but not as strong as the supporting cast Brunson had for his run to the NBA championship.
This World Cup has seen the very best players go goal for goal over the last few weeks, and Haaland is showing that he is in that upper echelon — Hart knows it now too.
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