Norway did not come to negotiate. They came to score - and Erling Haaland led the charge in a 4-1 demolition of Iraq at Gillette Stadium that sends a shiver through Group I.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 29th minute, turning home from close range to give Norway the lead. Iraq answered quickly: Aymen Hussein powered in a header in the 39th minute, and for a moment the underdogs were level at 1-1.
That hope did not last. Haaland struck again four minutes later, finishing from close range to restore Norway's advantage before half-time. The message was clear: starve him at your peril.
Iraq chased the game after the break, but Norway's grip only tightened. Leo Østigård headed home in the 76th minute to make it 3-1, and the Lions of Mesopotamia ran out of answers.
The cruelest twist came deep in stoppage time. Hussein, the man who had dragged Iraq back into it, turned the ball into his own net in the sixth minute of added time. Norway 4, Iraq 1. Heartbreak wrapped in a hammer blow.
Final score: Norway 4, Iraq 1. Haaland has two. Norway have three points. And Group I just got very interesting for France and Senegal.