Norway secured an early qualification for the Round of 16 at the World Cup with a 3-2 victory over Senegal. Three notable observations from the match in New Jersey.
Marcus Pedersen opened the scoring for Norway in the 43rd minute. The remaining goals came from two brace scorers: Erling Haaland (48th and 58th) and Ismaila Sarr (53rd and 90th+3).
Following Nico Schlotterbeck: Another BVB Player Substituted Due to Injury
Before Norway’s fans could even perform their now-legendary rowing celebration in the New Jersey stadium, Julian Ryerson had to leave the field. The 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund right-back sustained a muscular injury in his right thigh in the early stages and was replaced by Marcus Pedersen in the 12th minute.
Ryerson’s game had actually started well; in the 3rd minute, he provided a strong corner that created Norway’s first clear chance, but Kristoffer Ajer missed the header with an open goal.
The extent of Ryerson’s injury is not yet known. However, it is likely less severe than that of his BVB teammate Nico Schlotterbeck. The 25-year-old center-back twisted his ankle during Germany’s 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast on Saturday, suffering a severe medial ligament injury in his left ankle, which will sideline him for months, as announced by the DFB on Monday.
Erling Haaland Continues His Incredible Streak with a Brace
Norway’s opening goal in the 43rd minute was scored by Pedersen, who had come on for Ryerson. He benefited from two defensive errors from Senegal. Kalidou Koulibaly made a disastrous misplaced pass in his own penalty area, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy missed Pedersen’s saveable shot into the near corner.
Then, the previously subdued Erling Haaland came into focus, initially in an unusual role as a missed chance creator. In first-half stoppage time, the Manchester City striker missed two high-quality opportunities in quick succession. After another Mendy error (this time he fumbled the ball), Haaland hit the post from a tight angle instead of scoring into an empty net. Seconds later, his header was saved by a now alert Mendy.
Haaland improved after the break. In the 48th minute, he converted a dream pass from Martin Ødegaard to make it 2-0, and ten minutes later, he volleyed in a waist-high cross. With this brace, Haaland has now scored in his twelfth consecutive competitive match for Norway. In total, he has 59 goals in 52 appearances. Haaland also scored twice in the World Cup opener against Iraq and is currently second in the World Cup top scorers list with four goals, level with Lionel Messi and behind Kylian Mbappé.
Senegal’s Late Goal Prevents a Schedule Surprise
From a German perspective, the developments in Norway’s Group I are highly interesting. If the German national team wins against an as-yet unknown group third-place finisher on June 29th in Boston, they would face the winner of Group I in a potential Round of 16 match on July 4th in Philadelphia. This has been widely anticipated to be France for weeks.
Following the night’s events, everything still points to France topping the group before the final matchday with six points, thanks to a better goal difference than Norway. In the direct confrontation with Norway on the last matchday, a draw would be enough for France to secure the group win. However, it didn’t look that way for a long time. It was only through Ismaila Sarr’s consolation goal in the third minute of stoppage time that Norway slipped behind France in the standings.