With this victory, Norway climbed to the top of Group I, surpassing France, who had earlier defeated Senegal 3-1, based on goal difference.
This marks Norway's fourth appearance in the World Cup finals, their first since the 1998 tournament in France, signaling a strong start to their campaign.
Iraq, which qualified for its second World Cup finals after a challenging journey through intercontinental playoffs, faced a tough defeat in its opening match, having last participated in the 1986 tournament in Mexico.
This loss also marked the first defeat for any Asian Football Confederation (AFC) team in the tournament, following earlier victories by South Korea and Australia, and draws by Qatar, Japan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, which had resulted in a six-match unbeaten streak (two wins and four draws).
Erling Haaland, who has been a three-time top scorer in the English Premier League and scored 16 goals in eight European qualifiers for the World Cup, continued his scoring streak in his World Cup debut.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 29th minute, receiving a pass from David Møller Wolff and sliding in a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty box.
However, Iraq equalized in the 39th minute with a header from Aimen Hussein.
Norway regained the lead just before halftime in the 43rd minute, capitalizing on a defensive error. A back pass from an Iraqi defender was poorly handled by goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, and Haaland quickly pounced on the loose ball, which deflected off his leg into the net for a fortunate goal.
With this goal, Haaland completed a multi-goal performance in his World Cup debut.
Norway extended its lead in the second half, with Martin Ødegaard delivering a corner kick in the 76th minute that was headed in by Østigård for the third goal.
The scoring was capped off in stoppage time with an own goal by Hussein, sealing the 4-1 victory for Norway.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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