Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut for Norway, but the Manchester City striker insists there are other forwards performing better in front of goal. The 25-year-old Norwegian netted a brace in Norway's 4-1 victory over Iraq, but he humbly conceded that he does not regard himself as the world's finest striker this season.
Haaland's World Cup Debut
Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage in emphatic fashion, scoring twice as Stale Solbakken's side weathered a brief wobble against their Asian opponents. Iraq grabbed a foothold through Aymen Hussein's equaliser before Haaland, Leo Ostigard, and an own goal from Hussein rounded off a comfortable evening for the Scandinavian nation.
That brace added further gloss to Haaland's remarkable international record, which now stands at 57 goals in 51 appearances for his country.
Haaland's Humble Assessment
Despite romping to a second Premier League Golden Boot with City by netting 27 league goals, the imposing Norwegian believes Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe sit above him when identifying the most dangerous forwards in the game. "I would say I'm up there [with the best]. I don't think I scored the most goals this season," Haaland told reporters after the game. "So statistically, no I'm not because Harry Kane and Mbappe scored more goals than me and that's the reality."
Regarding his overall display, Haaland added: "I think today you saw the same energy, I would say, to decide this. But when I think about how I played today, I played in the same way. It's all about continuing and not saying too much. It's difficult at this stage, focus on the next [game] and of course you're happy [with the victory], but stay calm."
Comparison with Kane and Mbappe
Haaland's brace arrived on the same day that Mbappe secured his position as France's all-time leading goalscorer with his 57th and 58th strikes for Les Bleus, albeit in 99 appearances. Mbappe enjoyed a prolific campaign for Real Madrid last season, netting 40 times in 42 appearances across LaLiga and the Champions League. Kane, by contrast, struck 36 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich and accumulated 68 goal contributions in all competitions.
Kane will have the opportunity to add to his haul when England face Croatia in Dallas tonight, having reached 79 goals in his 114 caps for his country. With Haaland and Mbappe both finding the net twice, the battle for the Golden Boot is firmly underway.
Golden Boot Race
The overwhelming majority of bookmakers had named the trio as frontrunners to challenge for the World Cup Golden Boot following impressive goalscoring campaigns at club level. Nevertheless, Lionel Messi's hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria has propelled the 39-year-old to the summit of the charts for the time being.
Norway's World Cup Campaign
Haaland and Norway will progress from Group I to the knockout stages if they avoid defeat against Senegal on Tuesday, June 23. The African side delivered a determined performance in their opening match against France but ultimately came up short in a 3-1 defeat, with the 2018 champions awaiting Norway in their final group fixture on Friday, June 26.
