Norway produced a stunning attacking display on Tuesday night, thrashing Moldova 11-1 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, with Erling Haaland scoring five goals and substitute Thelo Aasgaard netting four to fire the Scandinavians to the top of Group I.
The emphatic victory moves Norway to 15 points from five matches, six points clear of second-placed Italy, who still have a game in hand. For Moldova, it was a night to forget, as they suffered their heaviest-ever defeat and remain rooted to the bottom of the table with no points.
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The game got off to a blistering start when Felix Horn Myhre opened the scoring in the sixth minute from a cushioned Haaland pass. Haaland himself doubled the lead five minutes later after capitalizing on a defensive error, before adding his second in the 36th minute and completing a first-half hat-trick with a composed chip just before the break. Captain Martin Odegaard also found the net in first-half stoppage time to make it 5-0.
Norway continued their relentless dominance in the second half, with Haaland powering home a header for his fourth goal before Aasgaard came off the bench to steal the spotlight. The 23-year-old forward struck twice in quick succession and later completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 79th minute.
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Haaland wasn’t done yet the Manchester City striker netted his fifth goal of the night, taking his tally to nine goals in five qualifiers, before Aasgaard rounded off the rout with his fourth in stoppage time. The result matches the record for the biggest winning margin in a European World Cup qualifier, equaling Macedonia’s 11-1 win over Liechtenstein in 1996.
