Haaland's unique record in World Cup qualifiers

Norway continued their impressive run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, achieving their fifth win in five Group H matches after crushing Moldova 11-1. This was a brilliant display of football that saw all-time top scorer Erling Haaland score five goals, while substitute Thilo Asgaard added four more. Norway began their group campaign with a 5-0 victory over Moldova and then a 4-2 victory over Israel. They then recorded a remarkable 3-0 victory over Italy, followed by a 1-0 victory over Estonia, before finally cruising to this crushing victory over Moldova again, confirming their strength and readiness for their first appearance in the finals since 1998 and their fourth in history. Haaland took his tally to nine goals in the qualifiers, netting five times (11, 36, 43, 52, and 83), becoming only the second player in Norwegian history to score five goals in a single match after Odd Wang Sørensen in 1948. His international total now stands at 48 goals in 45 appearances. Felix Mhre opened the scoring for Norway in the sixth minute, with Martin Odegaard adding the fifth. Substitute Åsgaard completed the rout (67, 76, and 79). Moldova's only goal came from an own goal scored by substitute Leo Østigård. With this victory, Norway tops the group with 15 points, six points ahead of second-placed Italy, who have played one more game, potentially putting them at risk of a playoff spot, as happened in the 2018 and 2022 qualifiers. In other Group 8 matches, Austria beat host Bosnia 2-1, bringing both teams to 12 points, while Romania drew 2-2 with Cyprus after having led by two goals earlier.