Norway’s Erling Haaland is having the time of his life at his first World Cup. Following the victory against Ivory Coast that took the Nordic side to the Round of 16, the 25-year-old super-striker joked that he scored the winning goal because he was dead tired."I was dead tired, so I thought 'I can't cope with extra time, so we have to score'," a grinning Haaland told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 via Reuters following the final whistle.The goal marked his 60th in 53rd appearance for Norway, leaving him head and shoulders above his peers when it comes to being prolific in front of the goal at such a young age.Ronaldo, who holds the record for the most goals in men’s international football (145), scored his 60th in his 129th appearance for Portugal at the age of 31. Messi’s 60th goal for Argentina came in his 122nd appearance at the age of 30. Even Mbappe’s 60th goal came only last week, against Iraq, in his 100th appearance for France at the age of 27.The Manchester City striker also became the first player in 72 years to score in each of his first 3 career starts at a Fifa World Cup. The winner against Ivory Coast extended his jaw-dropping scoring streak for Norway to 13 consecutive competitive international fixtures.It also marked Haaland’s 5th at this World Cup, behind Mbappe and Messi, who have 6 each, as the race for the Golden Boot heats up.While the towering striker does not match Mbappe when it comes to all-round game and the ability to create chances from nothing, what defines him is his ability to be in the right place at the right time. As often, he went long periods against Ivory Coast without touching the ball. But as so often, he managed to find space in the penalty area in the closing stages and, albeit a little more hesitantly than usual, he took advantage.Following the win, Haaland said 'Everything is a bonus" from here on."It's history, it feels unbelievable," said Haaland. "We managed to qualify for the first time in 28 years, we managed to go through the group stage and now we've managed to go through to the next round and meet Brazil in New York. It's incredible, so now everything is a bonus. Now we can play with our shoulders down and just enjoy it because I don't think we'll ever have this feeling again."Norway skipper captain Martin Odegaard said that with Haaland up front they always had a chance."It's amazing to have him in the team, we're lucky to have him and it's just about giving him as many opportunities as possible," he said.Amad Diallo, who had equalised for Ivory Coast in the second half before Haaland struck, said the powerful centre-forward needed no second chances."I would say that the second goal was too easy," said the Manchester United winger."We gave one man too much freedom. When you leave a striker of his calibre all alone, it eventually catches up with you."Brazil will be favourites to beat Norway — for what would be the first time — in Sunday’s round-of-16 clash, but their defence —particularly Arsenal centre-back Gabriel — will know precisely where the main threat lies.But while identifying that threat is one thing, stopping it is another.Jaydip is a Pages Editor at Gulf News and has sports running in his veins. While specializing in Tennis and Formula 1, he also makes sure to stay on top of cricket, football, golf, athletics and anything related to sports in general.