Haaland's conveys heartfelt message after Norway's dream run ends

Erling Haaland delivered an emotional message to fans after Norway's World Cup dream ended in the quarter-finals, as the Scandinavian nation's historic run came to a close with a 2-1 extra-time defeat to England on Saturday.

Norway, playing at the tournament for the first time since 1998, had already rewritten their football history by reaching the last eight for the first time ever. Their campaign ended in Miami when Jude Bellingham struck twice — the second in the third minute of extra time — to cancel out Andreas Schjelderup's opener and send England through to the semi-finals.

Hours after the dramatic loss, Haaland turned to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to thank supporters for an unforgettable journey. "What a ride it's been, thank you all for making it so special," the Norway captain wrote.

The post went viral within minutes, drawing over 6.6 million views along with roughly 7,500 comments, 39,000 reposts and 502,000 likes at the time of writing.

Despite the quarter-final exit, Haaland leaves the tournament as one of its standout performers. The 25-year-old striker finished the campaign with seven goals in five matches, placing him third in the Golden Boot race behind Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who each scored eight.

Haaland's most decisive contribution came in the round of 16, where his late brace stunned Brazil and sent the five-time champions crashing out 2-1 — their earliest World Cup exit since 1990. That result also confirmed Norway's place in the quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history, ending decades of near-misses on the international stage.

For Norway, the tournament will be remembered as a landmark chapter — the furthest the men's team has ever advanced at a World Cup — even as their campaign ultimately fell agonisingly short of a first-ever semi-final berth.