Haaland strikes twice as Norway edge Senegal 3-2 in a thriller

Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in a thrilling second-round Group I encounter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the colossus of the New York area that will host the 2026 World Cup final and which, holding 80,663 spectators, is one of the largest venues at this 48-team tournament. The Scandinavians claimed a golden win in a five-goal clash that was not settled until stoppage time.

Norway struck before the break. In the 43rd minute, Marcus Pedersen put the Nordics ahead for a 1-0 on the stroke of half-time that rewarded their strong start. And straight after the restart, in the 48th, Erling Haaland extended the lead from a Martin Ødegaard pass to make it 2-0.

Senegal did not give up. Ismaïla Sarr pulled one back in the 53rd after an assist from Sadio Mané to revive the contest, but Haaland responded instantly: in the 58th, the striker completed his brace, set up by Patrick Berg, to restore the two-goal cushion (3-1). The Lions of Teranga pressed to the end and, in the 90+3, Sarr completed his own brace from a Nicolas Jackson pass to tighten the scoreline, but there was no time left.

Ståle Solbakken set up Norway in a 4-3-3 with Ødegaard as the playmaker and Haaland as the focal point, while Pape Bouna Thiaw replied with a Senegalese 4-2-3-1 that created danger but paid dearly for its defensive frailty in the first half-hour of the second period.

With the win, Norway move on to six points and join France at the top of Group I, with a place in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup all but sealed. Senegal, by contrast, are left without a point and badly placed. The group will close on 26 June: Norway and France meet for top spot, while Senegal will play for pride against Iraq.