Erling Haaland continued his remarkable goalscoring run as Norway secured a place in the World Cup knockout rounds with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Senegal in New Jersey.
The Manchester City striker scored twice in the second half to inspire Norway to a second consecutive Group I win, ensuring Stale Solbakken’s side progress alongside France with a game to spare.
Norway took the lead late in the first half after Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly’s attempted clearance fell kindly for substitute Marcus Pedersen, who made no mistake from close range after being introduced early in the match.
Despite enjoying the better chances before the break, Norway had to wait until shortly after half-time for their second goal. Martin Odegaard threaded a perfectly weighted pass through the Senegal defence and Haaland raced onto it before finishing confidently past Edouard Mendy.
The goal carried extra significance as it made Haaland Norway’s all-time leading scorer at World Cups. The 25-year-old has now scored four goals in just two matches, twice as many as any other Norwegian player has managed in the tournament’s history.
Senegal responded through Ismaila Sarr, whose finish midway through the second half briefly revived his side’s hopes. However, Haaland quickly restored Norway’s two-goal advantage with a composed side-foot volley that clipped the underside of the crossbar before crossing the line.
The striker’s latest brace extended an extraordinary run for his national team. He has now scored in 12 consecutive competitive matches for Norway and has netted at least twice in each of his last six appearances.
Haaland’s influence stretched beyond his goals. Although relatively quiet during the opening stages, he showed his quality with intelligent movement and link-up play, including a superb pass that created an opportunity for Odegaard. He also came close to scoring earlier when he dispossessed Mendy but struck the post with the goal at his mercy.
Senegal refused to surrender and Sarr grabbed a second goal deep into stoppage time, creating a tense finish. The Crystal Palace winger nearly completed a dramatic comeback moments later, but his header flew over the crossbar with one of the final chances of the game.
While the closing minutes proved nervy, Norway were deserved winners after controlling much of the contest and creating the better opportunities throughout.
The result leaves Senegal needing a victory over Iraq in their final group match to keep alive any hope of reaching the last 32, while Norway can now turn their attention to building momentum for the knockout phase.
For Haaland, meanwhile, his first World Cup continues to be a memorable one. Already one of football’s biggest stars, he is thriving on the sport’s biggest stage and has quickly emerged as one of the tournament’s standout performers. With at least two more matches guaranteed, the prospect of a first World Cup hat-trick may only be a matter of time.