2026 World Cup Group Stage Key Match: Norway vs Senegal

42% possession. The Senegalese players worked the ball like prayer beads—487 passes, 16 shots, looking like they controlled everything at MetLife Stadium. The Norwegians managed just 352 passes and 13 shots.

But the scoreboard read 3-2.

6-4 on shots on target, 2.19 to 1.71 in expected goals. No matter how impressive the possession numbers are, they don't put the ball in the net. On that rainy New Jersey night of June 22, Senegal's safe passing backed them into a corner.

In the 4th minute, Norway racked up 4 consecutive corners. Senegal's defense, barely catching their breath, was pinned in their own penalty area. Ryerson went down injured in the 13th minute, replaced by Petersen. That forced substitution became the game's turning point. In the 43rd minute, Petersen pounced inside the box to make it 1-0. Senegal trudged into the locker room trailing, hoping to reclaim possession in the second half—only to run headfirst into an unleashed Haaland.

In the 48th minute, Haaland received the ball in the box and slotted it home with his right foot, 2-0. Five minutes later, Ismaïla Sarr pulled one back, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope. Then in the 58th minute, Ødegaard squared it, Haaland took one touch inside the box, and the ball clipped the crossbar before bouncing in. 3-1. A brace from Haaland. Sarr added another in stoppage time, making it 3-2. Time ran out.

"Scoring goals is my specialty," Haaland said after the match, unable to hide his satisfaction. With 4 goals in two group-stage games, he sits alongside Mbappé on the scoring chart. At the final whistle, coach Solbakken sprinted into the stands, gave his wife Anniken a kiss, and embraced her. Twenty-eight years. From the 89th-minute penalty by Rekdal that beat Brazil at the Stade Vélodrome in 1998 to this World Cup return—six qualifying campaigns of struggle in between. Haaland was born in July 2000; he wasn't even in this world when the France World Cup ended. That 28-year debt was half-settled tonight.

Don't mistake this for luck. Last November at San Siro, Norway crushed Italy 4-1 to seal qualification. Norway went undefeated in all eight games of their UEFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Only six teams in European football history have achieved a perfect record in at least six qualifying matches. Sørloth didn't score or assist in these two games, but his hold-up play and link-up in the final third anchor the other half of Norway's attack. On June 26 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, it's the group I top-of-the-table clash: France vs. Norway. To choose the easier path, you first have to secure top spot. Sørloth and the entire Norwegian team know tonight was just the appetizer; France is the real test.

For Senegal, the cracks on the field mirrored those off it. Pape Thiaw is the first coach in history to win both the African Nations Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations, yet he's leading the team into the World Cup without a contract. The federation owes bonuses, the hotel accommodations fall short, and catering issues have been fully exposed by the media. In two games, they lost 3-1 to France and 3-2 to Norway. After the opening defeat, Thiaw told SABC Sport: "It's too early to say we've failed. We're not dead yet. Our position is tough, but that's a fact."

Not dead, but barely hanging on. They must beat Iraq in the final round to keep their hopes alive, with the match also on June 26. A team that can't even pay its bonuses—who knows what cards they'll play when backed into a corner? No one is betting on them. Thiaw wrote on Instagram on June 17: "For Senegal. My heart, my soul, my mind belong to this country." No matter how high his spirits, it all depends on whether the players still believe in him after being owed their wages.

Thunderstorm warnings hung over East Rutherford all day. MetLife Stadium has no roof; the game was played in the rain. Next stop: Boston, Gillette Stadium, also uncovered. Mbappé, with his 4 goals, is waiting there.