Norway secured their place in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on Monday, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to bring his tournament tally to four goals in two games. The result means Norway have won back-to-back matches at a World Cup for the first time in their history, ending an 88-year wait to advance beyond the group stage — they had exited early in 1938, 1994 and 1998. Senegal, meanwhile, face elimination heading into their final group fixture.

Norway controlled much of the contest, though they lost right-back Julian Ryerson to injury inside the opening quarter-hour. His replacement, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen — a former Feyenoord player — opened the scoring just before the interval after Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly gifted the ball away on the edge of his own box, allowing Pedersen's low drive to creep under goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. Three minutes into the second half, captain Martin Ødegaard surged forward and slid a pass through to Haaland, who finished emphatically to make it 2-0. Koulibaly was again at fault, failing to win a tackle as Ødegaard — making his ninth assist for Haaland at international level — cut the defence apart. Haaland then added a third, steering a volley in off the crossbar from Patrick Berg's cross, with Koulibaly once again unable to clear.

Senegal refused to collapse entirely. Ismaïla Sarr, the most dangerous of the Senegalese attackers, reduced the deficit by poking home after a clever flick from Sadio Mané, and late in stoppage time he claimed his second of the night to set up a nervy finish — becoming the first Senegalese player to score at two different World Cups and equalling compatriot Bamba Dieng as the country's leading World Cup scorer with three goals. But Norway held on, despite losing Mendy to injury in the second half and surviving a late goalline clearance that denied substitute Oscar Bobb a fourth.

Haaland's performance continued to rewrite record books. He became only the sixth player in World Cup history to score two or more goals in each of his first two appearances at the tournament, and the second to do so in fifty years, after England's Harry Kane in 2018. His international tally now stands at 59 goals in 52 appearances. Norway's next match, against France in Boston on Friday, will decide who tops Group I — a prospect Haaland appeared relaxed about, telling broadcaster Fox that France