Haaland shatters Senegal's World Cup dream as Norway reach round of 32
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 23.06.26. | 05:00
Senegal, meanwhile, have been left clinging to a slim chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams after suffering a second consecutive defeat, following their 3-1 loss to France on Matchday One.
Norway booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup after defeating Senegal 3-2 at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday morning, a result that dealt a major blow to the Lions of Teranga's hopes of progressing beyond the group stage.
Having opened their campaign with a convincing 4-1 win over Iraq, Norway moved to six points from two matches and secured qualification for the Round of 16 with a game to spare.
Senegal, meanwhile, have been left clinging to a slim chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams after suffering a second consecutive defeat, following their 3-1 loss to France on Matchday One.
The African champions will now face Iraq in their final Group I fixture.
Norway started brightly and threatened from a series of early set-pieces. Kristoffer Ajer forced Edouard Mendy into a comfortable save from a corner before Martin Odegaard fired narrowly over the bar as the Scandinavians looked to seize control.
Senegal struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in the opening half, with Nicolas Jackson repeatedly caught offside while Norway enjoyed the lion's share of possession.
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The breakthrough arrived in the 43rd minute through an unexpected source. A defensive lapse in the Senegal backline allowed Marcus Pedersen to pounce on a loose ball before calmly slotting beyond Mendy to hand Norway a deserved 1-0 lead.
Norway nearly doubled their advantage before the interval as Erling Haaland struck the post and then forced a brilliant save from Mendy with a powerful header deep into stoppage time.
The second half began in devastating fashion for Senegal. Just three minutes after the restart, Odegaard threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Haaland, who made no mistake with a composed finish into the right corner to make it 2-0.
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Senegal responded almost immediately. In the 53rd minute, Ismaila Sarr produced a moment of quality, latching onto a slick attacking move before firing a superb effort into the top-right corner to reduce the deficit.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-live as five minutes later, Patrick Berg picked out Haaland inside the area and the Norwegian striker finished clinically, his effort bouncing in off the crossbar to restore the two-goal cushion and effectively put the contest beyond Senegal's reach.
The defeat was compounded for Senegal when goalkeeper Mendy was forced off injured shortly after the hour mark, with Mory Diaw replacing him between the posts. Appeals for a penalty after Idrissa Gueye went down inside the area were waved away as frustration continued to mount for Pape Thiaw's side.
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Senegal pushed forward in search of a route back into the match and got a second goal through Sarr in stoppage time to ensure a tense finish to the game.
Backed by a crowd of 80,663 spectators, Norway saw out the closing stages to seal a second successive victory and advance to the knockout rounds.
WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 2)
Norway-Senegal 3-1 (1-0)
/Pedersen 43, Haaland 48, 58-Sarr 53/
Tuesday 23.06.
06.00: (5.50) Jordan (3.70) Algeria (1.67)
Group K
Tuesday 23.06
20.00: (1.22) Portugal (6.50) Uzbekistan (13.0)
***odds are subject to change***