Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway edged a five-goal thriller against Senegal (3-2) at MetLife Stadium, sealing their place in the World Cup Round
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway edged a five-goal thriller against Senegal (3-2) at MetLife Stadium, sealing their place in the World Cup Round of 32 with a game to spare.
Senegal held firm against early set-piece pressure, but defensive mistakes opened the door for Norway just before the break.
Substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen capitalised on errors from Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to fire Norway into a 43rd-minute lead, and Haaland almost doubled the advantage moments later, only to strike the post after another Mendy mistake.
The Manchester City striker did not have to wait long to get his goal, though. Three minutes into the second half, Haaland received a through-ball from Martin Ødegaard and finished with composure to make it 2-0 — a goal that also moved him above Norway’s previous all-time leading scorer at World Cups.
Senegal responded well, with Ismaila Sarr pulling one back in the 53rd minute after a neat flick from Sadio Mané set him up on the edge of the box. But Norway restored their two-goal cushion just five minutes later, Haaland poking home from close range after good work from Antonio Nusa to make it 3-1.
The Lions of Teranga rode their luck for the remainder of the contest, unable to generate a real counter-threat despite committing men forward, with Norway’s midfield pairing of Sander Berge and Fredrik Aursnes shutting down space and forcing Senegal into hopeful crosses from wide areas.
Senegal did find a second goal deep into stoppage time, Sarr completing his brace with an assist from Nicolas Jackson, but it proved to be merely a consolation as Norway held on.
The result takes Haaland’s tally to four goals in two World Cup games and an extraordinary 59 in just 52 appearances for his country, keeping him firmly in contention with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé for the adidas Golden Boot.
It also marked a historic note for Norway, who have now beaten teams from four different confederations across their World Cup history — Mexico in 1994, Brazil in 1998, Iraq earlier this tournament, and now Senegal.
The win leaves Norway level on points at the top of Group I and sets up a mouth-watering finale against France in four days, with top spot in the group on the line.
Senegal, meanwhile, face a must-win final group match against Iraq, needing a heavy victory to keep their knockout hopes alive.
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