Erling Haaland breaks goalscoring record in Norway win

Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time top goalscorer with a brace in his nation's 3-0 win over Slovakia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.

Aged just 24, Haaland's two strikes took his international tally to 34 goals in just 36 caps, besting a record held by Jorgen Juve for over 90 years in the process.

Juve netted 33 goals in his 45 games for the Norwegian national team between 1928 and 1937, scoring the bulk of them in the now defunct Nordic Football Championship - a tournament he helped his side win by scoring a rather stunning 17 goals in 12 games between 1929 and 1932.

Haaland has broken Juve's record in less games and at a much younger age, and speaking about the feat after the win over Slovakia, the striker hailed the achievement as being "historic":

"Of course, it is big and historic. I'm happy, and it's a fantastic record to achieve. I have many years left. I'm enjoying myself.

"It was a well executed match. I am proud. It is a record that has stood for a long time. I felt good. It's been a long time since I've had this much energy on the field."

The Manchester City striker was also the stand-in captain for the game against Slovakia, leading his nation out thanks to the absence of Arsenal star Martin Odegaard. The win itself was Norway's second in three UEFA Nations League B games thus far in 2024, with Haaland netting three goals in those three games.

Haaland will be hoping to add to his record Norway goal tally later this week when his nation travel to face Austria on Sunday.

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