The name printed across his shirt may be a little different at this summer’s World Cup, but there is no mistaking the player wearing it: Erling Haaland remains Erling Haaland.
He is still the explosive focal point in attack, still the ruthless penalty-box predator defenders fear most. For Norway, his No 9 jersey reads Braut Haaland rather than the simpler “Haaland” seen at Manchester City, but the threat is every bit as familiar. This is not a reinvention, merely the same devastating striker under a slightly different name.
At MetLife Stadium, the 6ft 5in Norwegian needed only 22 touches — the third-fewest of any starter — yet two of them proved decisive as Norway booked their place in the knockout rounds with a 3-2 win over Senegal.
Haaland was not the man who put Norway ahead. That honor went to early substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, who punished a glaring mistake by Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly two minutes before halftime. Soon after, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy nearly gifted Norway a second with an error of his own, but Haaland’s effort from a narrow angle struck the post.
What had been a subdued contest burst into life after the break. Haaland, the marquee name in a match featuring several current and former Premier League players, delivered two classic close-range finishes to put Norway in control. Ismaila Sarr responded with a brace of his own, including a stoppage-time goal that briefly unsettled Norway, but Senegal’s fightback fell short.
Erling Haaland scored another World Cup brace to earn Norway a 3-2 victory over Senegal
Just as he did against Iraq last week, Haaland dominated the spotlight with another clinical double. His goals sent the Norwegian supporters into celebration, with a sea of red at the far end of the stadium launching into the now-famous “Viking Row” celebration that has become one of the images of the tournament.
On a rain-soaked night in New Jersey, Norway and their imposing striker powered on into the Round of 32.
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Just hours after Lionel Messi netted twice while becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer in the process, and as Kylian Mbappe bagged another brace over in Philadelphia, it was over to Haaland to hold up his end of the bargain in a World Cup which is bringing out the very best of its superstar cast.
He came agonizingly close to doubling Norway’s lead just before halftime, after robbing a clumsy Mendy of possession and clipping the post at a difficult angle, yet the 25-year-old didn’t have to wait long to get his goal in the second half.
Three minutes after the restart, Norway and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who was superb in the middle of the park here, drove forward and released an inch-perfect through ball which cut through Koulibaly and centre-back partner Moussa Niakhate and fell straight into the path of Haaland. As ever, he made no mistake in the penalty area, his natural habitat, sweeping a lethal left-footed strike past Mendy and into the top-right corner.
Haaland was at his ruthless best in New Jersey to book his country’s place in the knockouts
The name on his shirt may look different but Haaland was the same devastating finisher here
After Sarr pulled one back for Senegal five minutes later, Norway’s immovable object only needed another five of his own to restore their two-goal advantage, this time opening his body expertly and caressing Patrick Berg’s pass into the back of the net after another defensive mistake by Koulibaly.
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In the Premier League he has become renowned for doing very little other than sticking the ball in the back of the net. He only had 23 touches at MetLife Stadium but two of them were typical expert finishes, while another struck the woodwork. At the home of New York’s NFL teams, the Jets and the Giants, soccer’s greatest end-zone player came up trumps.
Messi, Mbappe, Haaland. The creme de la creme rose to the top on a marvelous Monday at the World Cup.
Experienced heads let Senegal down
Mendy and Koulibaly are two of Senegal’s most experienced and most decorated players. If you were watching the sport for the very first time on Monday night and had no clue who they were, you certainly wouldn’t think so.
Koulibaly’s mistake was essentially the only difference between the two sides at the break after a first half devoid of quality in both boxes. It was incredibly sloppy from their 35-year-old captain, who looked like he’d suddenly forgotten he was playing at a World Cup when he lazily gifted the ball to Pederson to open the scoring. Not the type of lapse in concentration you’d expect from a veteran with over 100 caps.
While the center-back was mostly at fault, Mendy also should have kept Pedersen’s lukewarm shot at goal out. He got a hand to it, but the ex-Chelsea goalkeeper, a Champions League winner, will be disappointed not to have done better.
Kalidou Koulibaly (right) endured an evening to forget in a miserable loss for Senegal
It was an equally frustrating night for Senegal’s shot-stopper in New Jersey, with Haaland coming mightily close to punishing him towards the end of the first half. He nearly got caught in possession again late on, too.
And if Koulibaly’s first error wasn’t bad enough, he also failed to clear the ball and allowed Berg to tee up Haaland for Norway’s third of the night, which proved decisive in the end.
Two of Senegal’s most trusted lieutenants looked amateurish out there at times.
Sadio Mane, on the other hand, provided a deft touch for Sarr to poke home from in the first half and was lively at times. The former Liverpool icon and Sarr, who showed great composure with both of his finishes, were let down by their leaky backline.
Viking Row
A word for Norway’s magnificent traveling support, who provided one of the most breathtaking sights of this World Cup once again with their synchronized rowing in the stands.
During the second-half hydration break, thousands of red shirts rowed their boats in perfect harmony to the tune of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing. And they held on to that feeling after progressing to the knockout stages.
With Odegaard, their captain, leading the orchestra by banging a drum on the field, Norway’s victorious players sat down behind him and rowed along with their supporters in a glorious moment after cruising into the Round of 32.
Hydration break in the rain?
If you still needed convincing that FIFA’s mid-half breaks are mainly a ploy to suffocate US viewers with even more ads, Norway and Senegal players pausing twice to ‘hydrate’ just before 8:30pm local time, in temperatures of 70°F, all but confirms the worst kept secret at this World Cup.
As we all worked out very quickly this summer, the reason matches have been Americanized and split into four separate quarters is so that broadcasters can add another six minutes of commercials to their coverage. Selling it as a measure to prioritize player welfare is nothing more than a smokescreen.
In some blistering conditions allowing teams to replenish fluids is necessary. But FIFA isn’t even trying to hide its ulterior motive by enforcing ‘hydration’ breaks whatever the weather.
