Erling Haaland reaches rare scoring landmark as Norway beat Wales

Erling Haaland reached a statistical milestone achieved by Gerd Muller but not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as Norway beat Wales 3-1 in the Nations League.

The Manchester City striker scored Norway’s third goal from the penalty spot in the 88th minute at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Saturday, completing a decisive individual display in the fifth round of Group 4 in League A.

Haaland also assisted Andreas Schjelderup for Norway’s second goal, passing the ball into the area for his team-mate to finish. His contribution helped Norway recover from a difficult first half and return to winning ways.

The 25-year-old had only 19 touches during 79 minutes on the pitch, completing nine passes and putting both of his shots on target. He created one big chance, missed another and recorded no defensive actions, while winning three duels, according to ESPN data.

Haaland linked up with Antonio Nusa in the build-up to the second goal before finding Schjelderup, and later converted the penalty calmly after a video review. Despite having less involvement in Norway’s general build-up play than some of his team-mates, his influence in the penalty area proved decisive.

The goal took Haaland’s international tally to 66 in 60 appearances for Norway, giving him an exceptional scoring rate.

According to figures published by the Stats Foot account, Haaland is the first European player since Muller to score 66 goals in his opening 60 international matches. Muller reached the same total with Germany in 1974, creating a statistical link between two forwards whose careers are separated by more than five decades.

Haaland’s wider record is even more unusual. The same analysis says he is the only player in football history to average more than one goal per game for both his senior national team and in the Champions League, among players who have scored at least 20 goals in each competition.

The victory moved Norway to six points and kept their hopes of finishing second in the group alive. They will conclude their campaign away to Denmark on Tuesday evening.

Haaland’s latest performance also came against the backdrop of comparisons with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, whose records have dominated discussions about elite goalscorers for much of the modern era. Neither player has achieved the specific combination of international and Champions League scoring rates highlighted by the latest figures.