Halaand’s brace against the Teranga Lions marked a second loss in as many matches. It leaves the African heavyweights in serious danger of crashing out before the knockout stages.
Norway, meanwhile, have taken maximum points from their opening two Group I fixtures and are closing in on qualification.
HAALAND MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
The opening half was a tightly contested affair, with Senegal initially doing well to contain Haaland and Norway’s attacking threats.
However, the deadlock was broken in the 43rd minute when Marcus Holmgren Pedersen found space and fired home to give Norway a 1-0 lead heading into the interval.
The second half exploded into life almost immediately. Haaland doubled Norway’s advantage in the 48th minute with a clinical finish before Ismaïla Sarr responded five minutes later to pull one back for Senegal.
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Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished when Haaland struck again in the 58th minute, restoring Norway’s two-goal cushion and taking firm control of the contest.
Sarr grabbed his second goal deep into stoppage time, but it proved too little, too late as Norway held on for a 3-2 victory.
Also read: African giants crash out of FIFA World Cup 2026
SENEGAL FACING WORLD CUP EXIT
The defeat leaves Senegal without a point after two matches, having also lost 3-1 to France in their tournament opener.
Norway now sits on six points after following up their opening victory over Iraq with another impressive display. Senegal must now rely on other results and produce a major turnaround to keep their FIFA World Cup hopes alive.
Also read: FIFA World Cup 2026 | Nine African teams remain in contention
NEXT FIXTURES
Attention now turns to Norway’s highly anticipated clash with France. Meanwhile Senegal faces a must-win final group fixture if they are to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
