Brazil have crashed out of the World Cup after a 2-1 loss to Norway, and it marks the latest and most significant chapter in the beef between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes.
A stunning brace from the Norwegian was enough to book a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in his nation’s history, and it came at the expense of Arsenal’s Gabriel.
The game was a stalemate until the 79th minute, when Haaland stole a march on the centre-back to get in front and head home from the centre of the box. The second was an even more impressive goal, rifling a low-driven effort into the bottom corner on 90 minutes.
Brazil would get a consolation through Neymar from the penalty spot in the dying moments, but it was Haaland and Norway who came away the victors.
The events of Sunday evening make this a perfect time to look back at the long-standing beef between the Arsenal and Man City stars — a beef that just shone on the biggest stage.
Brazil are OUT of the World Cup! 🤯 Who is most to blame for yet another failure on the international stage, and why?
The long wait for a sixth World Cup continues…
Erling Haaland vs Gabriel Magalhaes — beef revisited
Some would say the modern game doesn’t have the same bite as it used to, but that’s never the case when Haaland and Gabriel face off.
They first started jabbing in March 2024 during a 1-1 draw at the Etihad. On that day, Gabriel did everything he could to bother the burly centre-forward physically.
It was a great battle, and one that ended in a post-match scuffle between the pair. Pep Guardiola separated them, but by that point, the rivalry was born.
A few months later, at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Haaland got the upper hand. During a nail-biting Premier League clash at the top of the table, City found a late equaliser, and his celebration was iconic.
He grabbed the ball from the back of the net and lobbed it off Gabriel’s head. And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
The City superstar was seen after the game telling Gabriel, Mikel Arteta and his North London rivals to “stay humble.”
The next round went to the Brazilian. He scored the opener against City in the reverse fixture that season, and although Haaland equalised not long after, Arsenal would go on to hammer their rivals 5-1.
In 2025/26, Arsenal finally got over the hump and won the league. City made it a stressful conclusion to the campaign, though. When they faced off in April, Gabriel headbutted Haaland during a scuffle, but the big Norwegian didn’t drop to the floor like most would.
That in itself is a reflection of the kind of rivalry this is — physical, tough, mature.
The instigator avoided punishment and Arsenal went on to secure a first league title in over two decades.
Gabriel will have been the happier of the two coming into the World Cup, but not anymore. Haaland made him look silly for the first goal, losing him completely with elite movement. And the second one, well, that was just a world-class kick in the teeth.
We don’t get enough bite and animosity in the Premier League today, so seeing two absolute units in an even battle is a real breath of fresh air.
Haaland moves on to the last eight in the competition. Gabriel heads home. Does that mean the beef is settled?
I hope not.
READ MORE:
Why Vinicius Junior doesn’t take Brazil’s penalties as Bruno Guimaraes misses against Norway
Prince William tells Travis Kelce what biggest ‘culture shock’ for European fans is at World Cup
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