The name on his shirt may look slightly different at the World Cup this summer but make no mistake, it is still the same Erling Haaland.
Still the same swashbuckling force leading the line. Still the same ruthless fox in the box. Braut Haaland, as is displayed on the back of his No 9 Norway jersey rather than simply ‘Haaland’ for Manchester City, is equally as menacing and devastating a figure on the international stage as he is at club level. A not-so-alter ego.
The 6ft 5in Viking only needed 23 touches here at MetLife Stadium, the third fewest of any player who started the game, yet two of them were the difference as Norway sealed their place in the knockout stages with a 3-2 win over Senegal.
He did not fire the Scandinavians in front, with early substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen instead capitalizing on an astonishingly careless error from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly to open the scoring two minutes before the break. Moments later, a similarly-calamitous gaffe from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy almost allowed Haaland to double their advantage, only for the post to deny him at a tight angle.
A drab affair sparked into life after the interval as Haaland, the headline act of a game packed with Premier League stars past and present, produced two trademark strikes from close range to earn his country victory. Ismaila Sarr’s own double, including one in stoppage time which gave Norway a slight scare, ultimately proved a consolation.
Erling Haaland scored another World Cup brace to earn Norway a 3-2 victory over Senegal
Haaland, as he did last week against Iraq, stole the show once more with another clinical brace, which sent a stunning red sea into raptures down the other end of the stadium, triggering the famous ‘Viking Row’ celebration that has gone viral at this tournament.
On a wet night in New Jersey, Norway and their powerful frontman set sail for the Round of 32.
The World Cup’s A-list names aren’t disappointing
Just hours after Lionel Messi netted twice and became 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 do his bit in a World Cup which is bringing out the very best of its superstar names.
He came agonizingly close to doubling Norway’s lead just before halftime, after robbing a sluggish 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 split Koulibaly and centre-back partner Moussa Niakhate and fell straight into the path of Haaland. And as ever, he made no mistake with the finish, sweeping his left-footed strike 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 mistake by Koulibaly.
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 guess as much.
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 almost looked like he’d forgotten he was playing at the World Cup for a moment. Not the type of lapse in concentration you’d expect from a veteran of the team 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 will be disappointed not to have done better.
It was an equally frustrating night for him 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.
Kalidou Koulibaly (right) endured an evening to forget in a miserable loss for Senegal
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.
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.
