Erling Haaland struck twice as Norway secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Senegal in their FIFA World Cup Group I clash at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Monday night, a result that booked the Scandinavians’ place in the Round of 32 and left the Teranga Lions staring at an early exit.
Senegal, beaten 3-1 by France in their opening fixture, knew only a positive result would keep their qualification hopes firmly in their own hands. Norway arrived full of confidence after a convincing 4-1 victory over Iraq and ultimately proved too clinical when it mattered most.
The Norwegians suffered an early setback when defender Julian Ryerson was forced off through injury after just 11 minutes, with Marcus Holmgren Pedersen introduced as his replacement. The change, however, would prove decisive.
With the first half seemingly heading towards a goalless conclusion, Norway broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. A defensive mix-up inside the Senegal penalty area allowed Pedersen to pounce and fire beyond Édouard Mendy to hand his side a crucial lead.
Norway tightened their grip on the contest shortly after the interval. In the 48th minute, a costly Senegalese turnover in midfield was ruthlessly punished as Martin Ødegaard threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Haaland, who calmly slotted home to make it 2-0.
Senegal responded positively and reduced the deficit five minutes later. Sadio Mané drove forward with purpose before squaring for Ismaïla Sarr, who finished confidently to reignite his side’s hopes.
Any momentum gained by the Africans was short-lived. Haaland restored Norway’s two-goal advantage in the 58th minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area and powering home his second goal of the evening.
With time running out, Senegal pushed numbers forward in search of a comeback. Coach Pape Thiaw rolled the dice by introducing midfielder Pape Matar Sarr for captain Kalidou Koulibaly, as the West Africans laid siege to the Norwegian defence in the closing stages.
Their persistence was rewarded deep into stoppage time when Ismaïla Sarr bundled home from close range to complete his brace and reduce the deficit to 3-2. However, Norway held their nerve through a tense finale to claim all three points.
The victory sees Norway advance to the Round of 32 with six points from two matches, level with France at the top of Group I. Earlier, France defeated Iraq 3-0 in a match interrupted for more than two hours due to adverse weather, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Ousmane Dembélé also finding the net.
Senegal remain bottom of the group without a point and now face a daunting task to keep their World Cup dream alive. The Teranga Lions must defeat Iraq in their final group match and hope other results go their way if they are to progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Elsewhere, Algeria revived their campaign in Group J by coming from behind to defeat Jordan 2-1, bouncing back from their opening 3-0 defeat to Argentina.
