Norway’s historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup delivered far more than football. The commanding 1–4 win in Rome sealed the ticket for the new Scandinavian generation led by Erling Haaland, who scored another brace… but it also left behind one of the most surreal viral moments of the entire qualifying cycle: an unexpected clash between the Manchester City striker and Italy defender Gianluca Mancini.

“What Are You Doing?” — The Moment That Triggered Haaland

After the match, Haaland didn’t hold back while speaking to TV 2.
He revealed that the heated exchange with Mancini began in the most bizarre way imaginable.

“He started touching my a... and I thought, ‘What are you doing?’” the striker explained, visibly annoyed but also amused.

According to Haaland, that weird moment threw him off for a second… but ended up becoming pure fuel.

“I got a bit fired up and said, ‘Thank you for the motivation.’ Let’s go for everything.”

And he delivered. Haaland scored two goals, flipped the match on its head, and silenced Rome with a smirk aimed directly at the Italian defender.

“Then I scored twice and we won 1–4, so great. Thanks to him,” he said, closing the incident with ice-cold sarcasm.

Haaland’s Numbers Are From Another Planet

The brace didn’t just secure Norway’s World Cup return after 28 years.
It also allowed Haaland to reach 55 international goals, equaling Kylian Mbappé… but with 46 fewer games for his country. A staggering difference that cements his place as one of the most devastating finishers of this generation.

With his first World Cup finally on the horizon, Haaland will step onto the global stage his talent has demanded for years.

Italy Sinks Deeper: Another Playoff, Same Fears

The defeat in Rome closed a nightmare window for Italy, who had already fallen 3–0 in Oslo.
Now, the Azzurra must face yet another playoff — the same path that left them out of 2018 and 2022.

Falling twice against Norway, and doing so with clarity, has reopened old wounds and triggered a new wave of concern across Italian football.