Erling Haaland struck twice to take his tally to four goals at the World Cup as Norway secured a place in the Round of 32 with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Senegal.

Marcus Pedersen opened the scoring for the Vikings in the 43rd minute after coming on as an early substitute, while Haaland found the net in the 48th and 58th minutes to help Norway establish a commanding 3-1 advantage.

The Manchester City star’s first goal came after he latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Martin Odegaard and fired a left-footed effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, finishing off a swift counterattack that doubled Norway’s lead. Haaland added his second 10 minutes later, powering through the Senegal defence before meeting Patrick Berg’s delivery with a right-footed volley from close range.

After scoring, the prolific striker cupped his ear toward the sea of Norwegian supporters behind the goal, encouraging them to perform the famous Viking Row as they chanted and mimicked rowing motions. The 25-year-old has now scored 24 goals in his last 12 international matches, finding the net in every game during that stretch. His overall international record stands at an impressive 59 goals in 52 appearances.

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Haaland also joined England captain Harry Kane as the only players in the last five decades to score braces in each of their first two World Cup matches. He sits second in the Golden Boot standings, level with France’s Kylian Mbappe and one goal behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi. He nearly completed a hat-trick before halftime, but his effort struck the post after Mendy failed to control the ball.

Senegal responded through Ismaïla Sarr, who scored in the 53rd minute and again deep into stoppage time, but the Lions of Teranga could not prevent a second consecutive defeat. Competing in their first World Cup since 1998, Norway improved to 2-0 in Group I and are guaranteed a place in the knockout stage alongside France.

The Vikings will face Les Bleus on Friday, with top spot in the group and a potentially more favourable route through the knockout rounds at stake.
Senegal, meanwhile, remain without a point after two matches and must defeat Iraq, who are also 0-2, to keep alive any hopes of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams.

Pedersen, making his World Cup debut after replacing the injured Julian Ryerson in the 13th minute, capitalised on defensive mistakes from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Mendy to break the deadlock.

Odegaard’s cross was cleared only as far as Pedersen at the edge of the penalty area. The substitute took two touches before driving a shot toward goal that slipped through Mendy’s hands and into the net. To compound Senegal’s problems, Mendy was forced off in the 63rd minute due to injury.