# Haaland breaks Norway scoring record with brace against Slovenia

By IO Digest Desk

On 2024-10-10, Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer in the same match in which he wore the captain's armband for the first time. The Manchester City striker scored twice in a 3-0 Nations League win over Slovenia, moving beyond Jorgen Juve's record that had stood since 1937.

Haaland's first goal came in the seventh minute. A rebound fell to him in the box and he finished with his right foot for his 33rd international goal, drawing level with Juve on the Norwegian list. After the break, Alexander Sørloth set him up for the goal that pushed him past the old mark and gave Norway a firmer grip on the match.

The record had been within reach for some time. Before the game, Haaland had scored 32 goals in his first 35 appearances for Norway, a pace that made the milestone feel inevitable rather than sudden. The win over Slovenia simply turned expectation into history, with the added symbol of him doing it as captain on home soil.

Haaland told reporters that the achievement was big and historic and said he still had many years left in front of him. That answer matched the overall mood around Norway's performance: not celebratory in a narrow sense, but confident that the team had played one of its most complete matches in years.

The source said Haaland did more than score. He helped clear defensive balls, moved across the pitch to link attacks and generally set the tone for a Norwegian side that looked sharper than it has in past tournament campaigns. Norway, which has not reached a major finals since Euro 2000, sat top of League B Group 3 with seven points after the match, three clear of Austria and Slovenia.

The result also gave the team momentum ahead of a difficult trip to Austria on Sunday. Haaland warned against overhyping the win, saying the group still had a hard away game ahead. That caution was sensible: Nations League standings can shift quickly, and a record night does not automatically translate into qualification progress.

Juve's old mark was a reminder of how long Norwegian football had waited for a scorer of this scale. He had held the record since 1937 and had played 45 times for the national team. Haaland has now moved beyond him in far fewer appearances and with the kind of scoring rate that could leave the new record standing for a long time.

For Norway, the significance is larger than one tally. A national scoring record falling in a competitive international fixture is the sort of sporting event that reshapes the story a team tells about itself. On this night, that story belonged to Haaland.