Haaland and Gabriel's club feud sets up World Cup last-16 collision as Norway face Brazil

Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes will renew one of club football’s most combustible rivalries on the biggest stage when Norway face Brazil in the World Cup last-16 in New York on Sunday. Haaland arrives in the knockout round in devastating form, having scored five goals in three group games, while Gabriel remains the defensive cornerstone of a Brazilian side yet to concede.

The bad blood between the two stretches back to a pivotal Premier League meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal during the 2024/25 season. After scoring a late equaliser for City, Haaland deliberately threw the ball at the back of Gabriel’s head — a provocation the Norwegian subsequently dismissed in post-match interviews as nothing more than the normal cut and thrust of football.

Gabriel was far less sanguine. He publicly warned that he would be waiting for Haaland in the return fixture at the Emirates, and he made good on the threat. When Arsenal dismantled City 5-1, the Brazilian defender sprinted towards his rival and screamed directly into his ear at close range. He was unapologetic afterwards: “I did it because he threw the ball at my head, to provoke him the way he provoked me. The moment we scored, he was right next to me, so I went straight to shouting in his ear.”

The feud escalated further the following season when City edged Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad. During that match the tension boiled over completely when Gabriel attempted to headbutt Haaland. Referee Anthony Taylor chose to book both players rather than send Gabriel off, a decision Haaland felt vindicated by, believing his choice to stay on his feet rather than go to ground had influenced the official.

Now, with club allegiances set aside and national pride at stake, the pair will line up on opposite sides in a World Cup knockout tie that needs no additional subplot. Haaland’s goalscoring form gives Norway a genuine route to the quarter-finals; Gabriel’s reading of the game and aerial dominance represent the most direct obstacle in his path. Their personal history ensures that whatever happens on the pitch in New York will carry an extra charge that no team sheet can fully capture.