Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut as Norway opened their campaign by beating Iraq 4-1 at Gillette Stadium.

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Haaland’s first World Cup goal came on 29 minutes when the 6ft 5in striker stretched out his left leg to steer David Moller Wolfe’s left-wing cross past Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.

Iraq equalised through Aymen Hussein only for Hassan to fire an attempted clearance at Haaland, or Braut Haaland as he wears for Norway, and for it to rebound into the goal for 2-1.

The drama continued at half-time when a sprinkler erupted on the edge of the 18-yard box that sent staff scrambling to stop the leak and repair the field.

Norway were attacking the other box after the break and while Iraq competed well the win was wrapped up when Leo Ostigard headed in a Martin Odegaard corner and then Hussein scored his second of the game, unfortunately into his own goal for 4-1.

It was Haaland’s header that led to that last goal but Germany’s Miroslav Klose remains the last player to score a hat-trick on his World Cup debut, which he did at the 2002 tournament.

Here The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell, Dan Sheldon and Elias Burke break down the key talking points.

How close
was Haaland
to hat-trick?

The only surprise was that it took him 30 minutes to get off the mark.

He has had to wait to appear at his first major tournament but Haaland did what he does better than anyone else and that is score goals — simple-looking goals.

The first was a classic example of why they look simple but are often not. A great team move saw Norway work the ball down the right flank before switching the direction of attack with a cross from left-back David Moller Wolfe to the back post slid into the net by Haaland’s outstretched leg.

It was from a couple of yards out but the timing of his run was impeccable. He saw the overlap on the left unfolding but did not make the decisive move until the very last moment.

Having peeled off the back of Iraqi centre-back Akam Hashim, he covered the next five yards with little more than one stride before launching himself at the goal. It was predatory. It was classic Haaland.

He had been feeding off scraps for periods of the first-half as Iraq proved tougher opponents than many had imagined, chasing channel balls and often latching onto them.

It was how he scored his second of the night, his very presence spooking the defender into a slack backpass. He nudged the ball before the goalkeeper swung his leg at it with the ball then rebounding off Haaland and into the net.

He could have had his hat-trick late on when another underhit pass back to the goalkeeper presented him with a gift but he failed to beat goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.

And again at the end when his header was looping towards goal but was ultimately nudged into his own goal by Iraq’s Aymen Hussein.

Still, two goals in his first game, has him joint-top of the golden boot chart. Just as anyone would have expected.

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Why is Haaland ‘Braut Haaland’?

Eagle-eyed viewers who haven’t been watching Norway since last summer would have noticed the back of Haaland’s shirt with a second surname on it.

Since August, and only during international fixtures and not at Manchester City, the striker has had ‘Braut Haaland’ on his top, which matches the name he uses on social media.

This is a tribute to both of his parents’ surnames, and is reflective of Norwegian custom, where it is more common for both maternal and paternal names to be used. It is worth noting, however, that not every Norwegian player does it.

In the striker’s case, ‘Braut’ comes from his mother, Gry Marita Braut, a former champion heptathlete, and ‘Haaland’ is from his father, Alf-Inge, the former Leeds United and Manchester City defender.

The 25-year-old views it solely as something he does when playing for Norway as opposed to when he features for Manchester City in the Premier League and Champions League.

Irrespective of what is on the back of his shirt, one thing doesn’t change for Haaland, as evidenced in his performance against Iraq, is his ability to find the back of the net.

What happened
with the sprinklers?

It rained goals in the first-half. At half-time, it was supposed to sprinkle water. Instead, it flooded.

One of the sprinklers on the edge of the Norway penalty area malfunctioned and sent brown-coloured water shooting into the air.

A grounds worker sprinted over to the scene but the pitch was already puddling. Those in charge of the system were quick to turn off the tap but it required six staff to soak up the excess water and apply some sand to smooth out the area.

One extra member came sprinting across to help but ended up slipping, which provided the fans with some half-time entertainment. More than a section of them enjoyed the hydration break anyway, with a sizable portion booing the moment the adverts appeared.

What is Norway’s ‘ro’?

Norwegian supporters in the crowd performed the ‘ro’, a coordinated row-like movement to the beat of a drum, debuted in March in the 0-0 friendly draw against Switzerland in preparation for the World Cup.

It’s the brainchild of several members of Oljeberget Supporterklubb, aiming to leave their stamp on the World Cup and create atmosphere at Norway matches.

It starts with one of the ‘capos’ (or captains, inspired by ultra groups from around Europe who lead and choreograph chants) blowing into a Viking horn, signalling it’s time to put two arms in front and get ready to row.

The routine is led by another Oljeberget capo, who stands in front of the supporters. After two bangs of their drum, fans perform the rowing action and shout “ro” (row in Norwegian) in unison. It starts slowly, then speeds up, ending with fans leaving their seats and chanting.

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