Haaland Brace Fires Norway Into World Cup Knockouts
Erling Haaland struck twice as Norway booked their place in the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Senegal at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
The Manchester City forward made it four goals in two World Cup matches and an astonishing 59 in 52 appearances for his country, keeping himself firmly in the adidas Golden Boot race alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Marcus Holmgren Pedersen also found the net for Norway, while Ismaila Sarr scored both goals for Senegal.
Norway broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Holmgren Pedersen punished a defensive error from Kalidou Koulibaly, lashing home to give Ståle Solbakken’s side the lead.
Haaland doubled the advantage just three minutes after the restart, calmly finishing from Martin Ødegaard’s inch-perfect pass to extend his remarkable scoring streak to 12 consecutive competitive matches.
Senegal responded through Sarr in the 53rd minute, but Haaland restored Norway’s two-goal cushion five minutes later with a close-range finish.
Sarr struck again in stoppage time to set up a nervy finale, but Norway held firm to secure progression with one group-stage game to spare.
‘It was special again. Another amazing night and I’m super proud. I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve enjoyed playing for Norway ever since my debut and you can see that. The World Cup is nice!’ Haaland said afterwards.
Senegal forward Sarr admitted disappointment but vowed to fight on. “It was tough. We’re a little disappointed. But it’s not over yet, there’s still a third game to play. We’re going to go there to win it, and we’re going to work hard,” he said.
The victory means Norway’s four FIFA World Cup wins have now come against teams from four different confederations: Mexico (Concacaf) in 1994, Brazil (CONMEBOL) in 1998, Iraq (AFC) earlier in this tournament, and now Senegal (CAF).
Norway sit second in Group I behind France, with both sides on six points from two matches. Senegal and Iraq remain winless. Haaland was named Player of the Match for his decisive brace.
