Erling Haaland Went Full Cowboy After Sending Norway to the Round of 16

Erling Haaland is having the kind of World Cup debut most players only dream about. And after punching Norway’s ticket to the knockout round, he decided to celebrate like a true Texan.

The Manchester City striker posted photos of himself wearing a full cowboy outfit — hat, boots, button-down shirt, the whole deal. “Howdy!” he wrote. It wasn’t just a costume. It was a moment. The guy looked like he’d walked off a ranch in Amarillo and into a World Cup knockout celebration.

Norway knocked off Ivory Coast 2-1 on Tuesday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with Haaland scoring the winner in the 86th minute. It’s the kind of late-game drama that makes this tournament what it is. Antonio Nusa put Norway up first with a curling shot past Yahia Fofana in the 39th minute. Ivory Coast answered through Amad Diallo, who beat two defenders and ripped a gorgeous equalizer in the 74th. For a while it looked like the game was slipping away from Norway.

Then Haaland, who’d been quiet most of the night, did what he does. Patrick Berg slipped a low cross through the box and Haaland stabbed it home from close range. Ball in the net. Norway through. The bench cleared. The Viking fans in the stands lost it.

That goal was Haaland’s fifth of the tournament. That puts him one behind Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. And he’s scored in all three of Norway’s matches so far. Not bad for a first World Cup.

History for Norway

This win wasn’t just another group stage result. It was Norway’s first knockout victory ever at a World Cup. The last time they made the Round of 16 was 1998. A lot of these players weren’t even alive yet. So yeah, the cowboy gear made sense. When you make history, you dress for the occasion.

Norway’s traveling fans have become a story of their own this tournament. They’ve been showing up everywhere — not just at matches but at other sporting events across the U.S. They camped out at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut to cheer on Norwegian golfers Viktor Hovland and Kristoffer Reitan. They’ve turned this World Cup into a full-on American road trip. Haaland’s Lone Star getup is just the latest example of Norway making itself at home.

Next up for Norway: Brazil at MetLife Stadium. That’s a heavyweight fight if there ever was one. But for now, Haaland is soaking it in. Cowboy hat. Big win. A country that’s waited 26 years for this. Not a bad night in Texas.