Who won football today? Norway did, beating Senegal 3-2 in New Jersey and reaching the World Cup knockout phase for the first time since France 1998. Erling Haaland scored twice and took his total to four at this World Cup.
Haaland Delivers In New Jersey
Haaland’s two goals gave Norway the edge in a match that swung on errors and close-range finishing. He has now scored 59 in 52 caps and 16 in his past eight for Norway, a run that has carried them through Group I.
Norway’s third goal came after Kristoffer Ajer headed at Édouard Mendy from three yards out. Kalidou Koulibaly made mistakes that contributed to all three Norway goals, and those lapses turned a tight match into a result Norway could control by the final whistle.
Norway And France Move Clear
The win left Norway and France on six points at the top of Group I. That is the mark that sent Norway through and ended the long wait that had lasted since France 1998.
The game was played in steady rain on a chilly day in New Jersey, and Norway used a Viking-rowing-boat-plus-Icelandic-style-hu cheer with their fans as the match tightened. After the whistle, Martin Ødegaard beat on a drum on the rain-drenched grass.
Senegal Face Zero Points
Senegal finished the match on zero points after two defeats and six goals conceded across the tournament. That leaves the arithmetic in a difficult place even as the side was still being discussed in relation to the next round, including England, because the tournament structure can still leave room for comparison across groups rather than simple single-table ranking.
For Norway, the practical change is immediate: they are into the knockout phase and no longer waiting on the group picture to move on. For Senegal, the margin for error has already vanished, and the focus turns to whether any remaining route can survive the numbers already on the board.
