The Sports Guru
On a day when Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe had already scored twice apiece, Erling Haaland was never likely to let the headlines pass him by. This piece covers his double in a 3-2 win over Senegal that sent Norway into the last 32, Ismaila Sarr's spirited reply, and the Viking row celebration that followed.
Erling Haaland scored twice in the second half to send Norway into the World Cup last 32, a 3-2 win over Senegal at a rain-threatened MetLife Stadium that owed plenty to the striker and a little to Senegal's generosity at the back. Stale Solbakken's side joined France in qualifying from Group I and marked it by sitting on the pitch for the rowing celebration their fans have made their own. Ismaila Sarr's brace gave the closing stages an edge they barely deserved, but Norway held on, and Haaland left New York frustrated only that he had not taken the match ball home.
The day had a theme before Norway even kicked off. Messi and Mbappe had both scored doubles in the earlier group games, and Haaland, by his manager's account and his own body language, arrived determined not to be the odd man out. It took Norway until first-half stoppage time to break through, when substitute Pedersen opened the scoring on 43 minutes after a mix-up between Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy. Two minutes later Haaland struck the post following another Mendy error, and went into the interval looking thoroughly irritated with himself.
Haaland Makes His History After the Break
The frustration did not last. Three minutes into the second half Haaland rifled into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 and, in the process, became Norway's all-time leading scorer at World Cups. It was the goal of a player who had been waiting all night to be let loose. Senegal, to their credit, refused to fold. On 53 minutes Sadio Mane's neat flick on the edge of the box released Ismaila Sarr, whose excellent finish pulled one back and threatened to make a contest of it.
Haaland had the answer almost immediately. On 58 minutes he restored the two-goal cushion with a close-range finish, his second of the night, the 59th goal of an international career that has now produced more goals than caps. It was, on paper, the cushion Norway needed. Sarr's composed second in stoppage time set up a nervier finish than the home crowd would have liked, but by then qualification was already in the bag.
A Record, and a Statement of Form
The numbers around Haaland are starting to read like a misprint. The 25-year-old has now scored in his last 12 competitive appearances for Norway, and in 18 of his last 21 national-team games. He also became only the sixth player to score multiple goals in each of his first two World Cup appearances, having opened his tournament with a double in Norway's win over Iraq. That he could be disappointed with a brace, having spurned the open goal that hit the post, says a good deal about where his standards sit.
Solbakken was happy to make the comparison his striker had invited. "He is the best striker," the Norway boss said. "He is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He's scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage." He conceded Haaland "could even have scored four" on the night, and noted that the Golden Boot is "easier to win when you play for France and Argentina", a wry nod to the company his man is keeping. This was, after all, the same afternoon Messi broke the World Cup scoring record.
Verdict: Norway Arrive, Senegal Hang On
It is worth pausing on what this means for Norway. A second win at a single World Cup is more than they had managed across all their previous appearances combined, and they have done it with a forward in the kind of form that makes a knockout draw nobody's idea of fun. Led by a drum-beating Martin Odegaard, the players performed the Viking row in front of supporters who had earlier packed Times Square. "When you hear the sound, it's magical," forward Alexander Sorloth said, and on this evidence the noise is not going quiet soon.
Norway now face France on Friday to decide who wins the group, a fixture Haaland was already framing with typical bluntness. "I don't care, we are through," he said. "They'll probably beat us and go on and win the whole tournament." Senegal, who began with a narrow defeat to France, are left needing to beat Iraq heavily on Friday to keep their own hopes alive. For a side with Mane and Sarr in it, the talent is there. The margin for error, after this, is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in their Group I fixture at MetLife Stadium in New York, in front of 80,663 supporters. Pedersen opened the scoring on 43 minutes and Erling Haaland struck on 48 and 58, with Ismaila Sarr replying twice for Senegal, on 53 minutes and in stoppage time. The win sent Norway through to the last 32.
Haaland's first goal, on 48 minutes, made him Norway's all-time leading scorer at World Cups. The double also made him only the sixth player to score multiple goals in each of his first two World Cup appearances, after he opened the tournament with a brace against Iraq. The two strikes were his 58th and 59th goals for Norway, in his 52nd international.
Yes. The 3-2 win secured Norway's place in the last 32 alongside France, who also qualified from Group I on the same matchday. It was Norway's second victory of the tournament, more than they had managed across all their previous World Cup appearances combined, and they now face France on Friday to decide who tops the group.
Yes, but their task is difficult. After losing this game, Senegal must beat Iraq in their final Group I fixture on Friday, and will likely need to do so by a heavy margin, to have a chance of joining Norway and France in the knockout stages. Ismaila Sarr's brace here showed the attacking quality they still carry.
It is a rowing celebration made iconic by Norway's supporters, in which the players sit on the pitch and mimic the motion of rowing a boat. After beating Senegal, Norway's players performed it led by a drum-beating Martin Odegaard, in front of fans who had earlier gathered in large numbers in Times Square. The squad have made it a feature of their World Cup run.
Sources: Match report, scoring sequence, key moments, attendance and post-match quotes from Stale Solbakken, Erling Haaland, Patrick Berg and Alexander Sorloth, along with the statistical context around Haaland's Norway and World Cup scoring records, as reported in Sky Sports' coverage of Norway 3-2 Senegal at the World Cup.
