Group I Norway 3-2 Senegal Erling Haaland continued his remarkable scoring spree at the FIFA World Cup 2026, netting his second consecutive brace as Norway edged Senegal 3-2 on Monday to secure a place in the Round of 32 with a game to spare. The Manchester City striker once again proved unstoppable at the New York New Jersey Stadium, taking his tournament tally to four goals in two matches and leading Norway to back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time in their history. The result sends Norway into the knockout rounds alongside France from Group I and strengthens the growing belief that the Scandinavians could emerge as one of the tournament's dark horses. Haaland's latest heroics came on a day when football's biggest stars continued to dominate the headlines. Earlier, Lionel Messi scored twice for Argentina to extend his World Cup record to 18 goals, while Kylian Mbappe also struck a brace in France's 3-0 victory over Iraq. Not to be overshadowed, Haaland delivered another decisive performance to underline his status as one of the most lethal forwards in world football. The Norwegians signalled their intentions early when Kristoffer Ajer forced goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into an excellent save from a corner. However, they suffered a setback when full-back Julian Ryerson was forced off with an injury during the opening stages. But the breakthrough eventually arrived just before halftime. A costly mistake from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly gifted possession to substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen on the edge of the penalty area, and the defender made no mistake, firing a low shot that slipped underneath Mendy to give Norway a deserved lead. Norway carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their advantage within three minutes of the restart. A swift counterattack saw Odegaard burst forward before threading a perfectly weighted pass into Haaland's path. The striker calmly finished beyond Mendy to score his third goal of the tournament and put Norway firmly in control. Senegal refused to surrender and halved the deficit when Ismaila Sarr showed composure inside the box, poking the ball home after a clever flick from Mane created the opening. Any hopes of a comeback, however, were quickly extinguished by the tournament's most prolific striker. Koulibaly endured another difficult moment when he failed to clear a dangerous cross from Patrick Berg, allowing Haaland to volley emphatically into the net via the underside of the crossbar. The goal took his international tally to an astonishing 59 goals in just 52 appearances for Norway. Senegal ensured a nervy finish when Sarr grabbed his second goal of the evening, becoming the first Senegalese player to score in two different World Cup matches. But, despite late pressure, the African giants could not find an equaliser. The victory extends Norway's impressive run to just one defeat in their last 18 matches and sets up a mouth-watering clash against Mbappe’s France in Boston on Friday, with top spot in Group I on the line. For Senegal, the defeat leaves their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. They must now defeat Iraq in their final group match and hope other results go their way to avoid an early exit.
