Erling Haaland says a cheeky grab from Italy defender Gianluca Mancini lit the fuse for his explosive row in Rome – and directly inspired the brace that fired Norway to the 2026 World Cup.
The Manchester City striker had to be physically held back by club team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma during a heated flashpoint in Norway’s stunning 4-1 win, a result that booked their place at a first World Cup since 1998.
The flashpoint: ‘He started grabbing my ass’
The incident came with the game finely poised. Norway knew they just had to avoid a heavy defeat to secure automatic qualification, but instead went on to tear the Azzurri apart.
Haaland later explained to Norwegian TV exactly what pushed him over the edge.
“At 1-1, he started grabbing my ass, and I thought, ‘what are you doing?’”
“So I fired myself up a bit and said to him, ‘thanks a lot for the motivation, let’s f*cking have it.’ Then I scored two goals, we win 4-1, so that’s great. Thanks to him!”
Mancini’s provocation triggered an angry reaction, with Haaland storming towards the defender before Donnarumma stepped in, wrapping his arms around the Norwegian to prevent the confrontation from escalating.
Minutes later, Italy paid the price.
Haaland responds with a deadly double
Having been kept off the scoresheet until the 78th minute, Haaland came alive when it mattered most.
- First, he smashed in a superb volley to put Norway 2-1 up.
- Barely a minute later, he pounced on a poor clearance to make it 3-1 and silence the home crowd.
Wolves forward Jørgen Strand Larsen then added a fourth in stoppage time to cap a statement win for Ståle Solbakken’s side and complete a flawless qualifying campaign: eight wins from eight.
Haaland ended the group with 16 goals in eight matches, equalling Robert Lewandowski’s record tally for a single European World Cup qualifying campaign.
Record-breaking form on the international stage
Haaland’s form for Norway has gone from impressive to historic.
- He has now scored in 11 consecutive international appearances, matching a world record recognised by the IFFHS.
- That mark was originally set by Malaysia’s Abdul Ghani Minhat between May 1961 and August 1962.
- Norway have won all 11 of the games in which Haaland has scored during this streak.
The run began on 14 November 2024 in a 4-1 win over Slovenia and has carried right through this qualifying cycle. The only recent game Norway didn’t win with him on the pitch? They didn’t have to worry – Haaland missed the 1-1 friendly draw with New Zealand.
For context:
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s longest scoring streak for Portugal stands at six consecutive internationals (done twice).
- Lionel Messi’s best stretch for Argentina is eight in a row between December 2022 and September 2023.
Haaland is currently sitting on 32 goals in 20 games for club and country this season, failing to score in only two of those appearances (against Tottenham and Aston Villa).
Norway dream, Italy sweat – again
For Norway, this is the start of something new: their first major tournament since Euro 2000 and their first World Cup in almost three decades. They will head to 2026 with one of the most feared strikers on the planet in record-breaking form and absolutely central to their gameplan.
For Italy, it’s a familiar and uncomfortable story. A poor night leaves them second in the group and facing the play-offs once more – a route that saw them miss out on both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups after painful defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia.
This time, their attempt to unsettle Haaland didn’t just fail – it backfired spectacularly.
Mancini grabbed him. Donnarumma held him back. And Haaland did what he does best: turned a flash of fury into goals, qualification and another chapter in a record-breaking season.
