Erling Haaland matches Gerd Muller record as Norway beat Wales

Erling Haaland scored and assisted in Norway’s 3-1 victory over Wales to complete a statistical double that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo achieved.

The Manchester City striker restored Norway’s lead with an 88th-minute penalty at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Saturday, in the fifth round of Nations League top-tier Group D. He had earlier created Andreas Schjelderup’s goal as Norway returned to winning ways after a difficult first half.

Haaland played 79 minutes and had only 19 touches, completing nine passes and putting both of his attempts on target. He created one big chance and missed another, while he made no defensive actions and won three duels, according to ESPN data.

His assist came after he received the ball and played it into the area for Schjelderup to finish. Haaland then calmly converted from the penalty spot after a video review to settle the match.

Despite his limited involvement in Norway’s build-up play, his effectiveness in the penalty area was decisive. He turned a small number of touches into one goal and one assist as Norway secured an important win.

The penalty took Haaland’s international tally to 66 goals in 60 appearances for Norway. According to statistics published by the Stats Foot account, he became the first European player since Gerd Muller to score 66 goals in his first 60 international matches.

Muller reached the same figure for Germany in 1974, creating a statistical link between the two forwards that spans more than five decades.

Haaland also achieved another landmark in the same analysis. He is now the only player in football history to average more than one goal per game for both his senior national team and in the UEFA Champions League, among players who have scored at least 20 goals in each competition.

The result lifted Norway to six points and kept alive their hopes of finishing second in the group. Their final match is against Denmark away from home on Tuesday.