Erling Haaland added two more goals to his FIFA World Cup record with a brace against Senegal on Monday night, propelling Norway into the tournament’s knockout stages.
Norway claimed their place in the World Cup’s last 32 with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Senegal in New Jersey, continuing their perfect start in Group I alongside France.
Advertisement
In a somewhat messy first half, Stale Solbakken’s team broke the deadlock through full-back Marcus Pedersen, who came on as an early substitute and took advantage of a poor clearance from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly.
The impressive Erling Haaland then took charge in the 48th minute, capitalizing on a brilliant through ball from Martin Ødegaard to extend the lead, marking his third goal of the tournament and establishing himself as Norway’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
Senegal responded tenaciously, with Crystal Palace winger Ismaïla Sarr reducing the deficit, momentarily complicating Norway’s dominance. However, Haaland quickly restored the two-goal lead just five minutes later, calmly side-footing a volley that struck the underside of the crossbar.
This critical goal extended the Manchester City forward’s remarkable international scoring streak to 12 consecutive competitive matches for Norway, with Haaland achieving a brace in each of his last six appearances.
Advertisement
Although Sarr managed to score deep in injury time to create a tense finish, he agonizingly sent a golden opportunity, a last-second equalizer, over the crossbar, leaving Senegal without points and needing a significant victory against Iraq in their final group match to have any hope of progressing.
Erling Haaland Match Statistics vs. Senegal
90 Minutes
2 Goals
23 Touches
6 Accurate Passes
55% Pass Accuracy
9 Touches In Opposition Box
4 Aerial Duels Won
3 Shots On Target
2 Chances Created
1 Recovery
1 Hit Woodwork
1 Big Chance Missed
1 Big Chance Created
1 Pass Into Final Third
Data courtesy of FotMob.