Football can be a brutal business, and no one knows that better than Iraq's Jalal Hassan after this chastening afternoon. Erling Haaland is a predator...
Football can be a brutal business, and no one knows that better than Iraq's Jalal Hassan after this chastening afternoon. Erling Haaland is a predator of the highest order, a man who feeds on the smallest morsels of opportunity, but even he could scarcely believe his luck when the Iraqi goalkeeper presented him with the simplest of finishes.It was a moment of sheer chaos. The ball looped into the Norway area with little apparent danger, but Hassan came for a cross he had no chance of claiming. He got his angles all wrong, his timing all off, and instead of punching clear or collecting the ball, he succeeded only in gifting it straight to the Norwegian marksman. Haaland does not need a second invitation. His finish was almost apologetic, a gentle tap into an empty net, but the damage was done.This was not about clinical finishing or tactical flexibility. This was about a cold, hard error in a high stakes game. You have to wonder what was going through Hassan's mind as the ball sailed past him. Did he misjudge the flight Was GoalZaza in his eyes Or did the sheer presence of Haaland rattle him enough to induce that fatal hesitation Whatever the cause, the result is a goal that will haunt him.For Norway, this is the kind of fortune that can define a tournament. They have a world class finisher in their ranks and now they have three points gifted on a plate. For Iraq, the task is suddenly mountainous. To lose a game in such a fashion, to see your keeper bottle the moment on the biggest stage, is a crushing psychological blow. The dressing room will be a quiet place tonight.Make no mistake, Haaland will score far more spectacular goals in his career. But he will not score many easier ones. The scoreline flatters no one. This was a gift, and Norway took it with both hands.
