SAMBA TEST

Norway's hopes of advancing in the World Cup rest heavily on their talismanic striker Erling Haaland, who has been in formidable scoring form throughout the tournament. Haaland's late winner against Ivory Coast, his fifth goal, secured Norway's first-ever World Cup knockout victory and marked a significant return to the global stage after a 28-year absence.

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Brazil are favourites, of course they are, but we are hopeful that we will give them a match, and we are not playing the game for fun – we are playing to win the game and to reach the quarter-finals.

The team now faces a daunting challenge against five-time world champions Brazil in the last-16. However, history offers encouragement, as Norway has never lost to Brazil in their four previous encounters, boasting two wins and two draws. Coach Stale Solbakken, a member of the 1998 squad that defeated Brazil, expressed cautious optimism, stating, "Brazil are favourites, of course they are, but we are hopeful that we will give them a match... we are playing to win the game and to reach the quarter-finals."

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It’s amazing to have him in the team, we’re lucky to have him and it’s just about giving him as many opportunities as possible.

Solbakken emphasized the invaluable presence of Haaland, whom he considers "the greatest goalscorer in the world." The Manchester City star has an exceptional record, scoring in his last 13 competitive international matches and netting 25 goals during that streak. Norway's captain, Martin Odegaard, echoed this sentiment, calling Haaland "amazing to have in the team" and stressing the importance of creating opportunities for him.

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It’s not easy. You have seen that so far in the World Cup. We will try to do our best.

Brazil, however, possesses its own star player in Vinicius Junior, the team's leading scorer with four goals in the tournament. Solbakken acknowledged the difficulty in stopping him, joking about a "7-3-0" formation. Norway's goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, familiar with Vinicius's threat from his time in La Liga, believes the team's strong qualifying campaign and recent achievements provide a basis for confidence. "We know we can stop anyone," Nyland asserted.

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Because of what we’ve done over the last two or three years and what we’ve achieved so far… we know we can stop anyone.