EAST RUTHERFORD — There were understandable uncertainties surrounding Norway’s goalkeeping situation entering the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but Orjan Nyland has hushed all of those doubts emphatically.
Perhaps it can land him a contract somewhere to play his club soccer for the 2026-27 season, though after Sunday at MetLife Stadium in the shadow of the Big Apple, teams should be lining up with offers.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper, who spent last season backing up Odysseas Vlachodimos at Spanish side Sevilla and appeared in just five La Liga matches, is a free agent and still without a home, but his heroics backstopped Norway to its first-ever World Cup quarterfinal with a thrilling 2-1 victory over mythical Brazil in the Round of 16.
“It’s been the most important game of my career,” Nyland said. “It’s fantastic to be here to be able to contribute and be in the quarterfinal. It’s a huge achievement. Very happy to participate.”
He made three crucial saves, each one as spectacular as the last, which was hard to do considering his first was a penalty save on Bruno Guimaraes in the 14th minute. He correctly lunged to his left to bat away a disappointing attempt from the Newcastle United man, who put little pace or direction on the shot.
He turned away a tough-angled Gabriel Martinelli shot from the left touchline in the 31st minute, quelling a vivacious run from the Arsenal midfielder, who scored Brazil’s winner late in the Round of 32 over Japan.
But his greatest contribution came from a broken play, and it might as well be the save of the tournament. With Norway nursing a 1-0 lead delivered by Erling Haaland in the 79th minute, Norwegian defender Kristoffer Ajer, who conceded the first-half penalty that Nyland had to save, deflected a ball that was intended for Brazil’s Endrick at the top of the box. The deflection looped it high into the air, where it seemed destined to settle inside the right post, but a back-pedaling Nyland somehow managed to get a hand on it while falling to save it off the right post.
It was a remarkable way to follow up a save that ultimately did not count in the 63rd minute, when he spread himself wide to stonewall Guimaraes with a right hand from point-blank range, though the Brazilian was deemed offside.
A historic night in New York is one thing for Norway. This is officially the greatest team in the program’s history, and Haaland is understandably getting the majority of the spotlight. He sits level with Lionel Messi of Argentina and Kylian Mbappe of France for the top spot in the Golden Boot race with seven goals.
But doing this against Brazil is entirely different. The South American powers are the most decorated team in the tournament’s history, with five titles, and had reached the quarterfinals in every World Cup since 1990 before Wednesday’s. Yet they have never beaten Norway.
Much of that has to do with Nyland’s heroics, who can probably count the minutes until he finds a new club.
“Everyone knows who to call when they need someone,” Nyland said. “I think I’ve shown that today.”
For more on Orjan Nyland and the World Cup, visit AMNY.com
