If you were designing a moment to remind the world that soccer is deeply, almost cruelly unfair, you could not do much better than this: Brazil, awarded a penalty in the 97th minute of a 0-0 World Cup round of 16 match, watches Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland dive and turn the shot away. Full stop.
The match, played on July 5, 2026, ended goalless after 90 minutes and deep into added time. Bruno Guimarães stepped up to take what should have been Brazil’s ticket to the quarterfinals. Nyland had other plans.
History has a sense of humor
Here is the context that made the moment land harder than it should have. Norway’s last World Cup appearance before this tournament was 1998, a group-stage match where they beat Brazil with a late penalty. The same opponent, a similar late penalty, a different result this time around.
For Norway, qualifying for the 2026 tournament ended a 28-year absence from the world’s biggest stage.
