On a rain-swept night in New Jersey, Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does. Two goals in ten second-half minutes turned a tight contest into a defining one — and carried Norway into the Round of 32 of their first World Cup since 1998.

They had waited 28 years to come back to this stage. They are not wasting the trip. Watched by a sea of red shirts that had earlier taken over Times Square, Norway beat Senegal 3–2 at MetLife Stadium to make it two wins from two in Group I and book a place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare.

It was not the procession the early possession threatened. Senegal, beaten by France in their opener, came back twice through Ismaïla Sarr and made Ståle Solbakken's side sweat deep into stoppage time. But Norway had Haaland — now their all-time leading World Cup scorer — and on this evidence, nobody at this tournament will want to draw them next.

How it happenedFive goals, one scoreline

The storyA first half of patience, a second half of Haaland

For 43 minutes this looked like a game Norway would dominate without quite breaking. They had the corners, the crispest chances and the calmer heads; Mendy, Senegal's goalkeeper, kept the score down with a couple of smart first-half saves. Then a careless touch in a dangerous area let Pedersen in, and the dam broke.

If the first goal was about pressure, the second was about ruthlessness. Norway needed eleven seconds of the second half's settled play to double the lead, Haaland racing clear and finishing with the certainty of a man who has done it 59 times in 52 games for his country.

Senegal, to their credit, refused to fold. Sarr's first was a genuinely brilliant finish, and for five minutes the contest crackled with the possibility of a comeback. But Haaland simply scored again — off the bar, off his weaker foot — and the air went out of it. Sarr's late second made the closing seconds uncomfortable; it never made them frightening.

Around the groupWhat it means for Group I

Norway join France in the knockout rounds, and the two unbeaten sides now meet on Friday in a straight shoot-out for top spot. For a nation whose four World Cup wins in history have now come against four different confederations, the mood around Solbakken's squad — drums, rowing celebrations and all — is unmistakably that of a team enjoying every minute.

Senegal's situation is starker. The defeat leaves them on the brink: Aliou Cissé's side must beat Iraq in their final group game, and even then will need results elsewhere to fall their way. The talent is there — Sarr, Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson — but two games in, the points are not.

Norway 3–2 Senegal · FIFA World Cup 2026, Group I · New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford · Mon 22 June 2026. Goals: Holmgren Pedersen 43′, Haaland 48′, 58′ (Norway); Sarr 53′, 90+3′ (Senegal).