Norway vs Senegal 3:2 — A Haaland Brace and Five Goals in 47 Minutes

Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in a high-scoring group-stage match where the expected-goals numbers nearly predicted the exact outcome — 2.2 to 1.72 in the hosts' favor.

Erling Haaland's brace decided the match

Erling Haaland scored twice, in the 48th and 58th minutes, capitalizing on chances created early in the second half.

Those two goals proved decisive in a match where both sides traded blows almost until the final whistle.

Ismaila Sarr answered with a brace of his own, but it wasn't enough

Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr also scored twice — in the 53rd minute and in second-half stoppage time at the 90th.

But his output couldn't save his side from defeat, since Norway found one goal more.

Martin Pedersen struck just 30 minutes after coming on

Pedersen entered as a substitute in the 13th minute for Ryerson and opened the scoring in the 43rd.

A rare case of a first-half substitute finding the net before the break.

Senegal held the ball, Norway found the net

With possession split 58-42 in Senegal's favor, it was Norway who proved more clinical in front of goal.

7 shots on target against just 4 for the visitors despite completing roughly half as many passes.

Group standings context

Before kickoff, Norway sat second in the group on 6 points and Senegal third on 3.

Both already marked for the round of 32 — the home win reinforced Norway's position heading into the knockout stages.

Fouls hint at contrasting styles

13 fouls for the hosts against just 5 for the visitors — Norway played a noticeably more physical game.

Compensating for Senegal's territorial edge with tougher challenges in key moments of the match.

Both goalkeepers posted a negative goals-prevented figure

A reading of -1.05 for both sides means each goalkeeper conceded more than the model expected given the quality of shots faced.

A statistically rare match where both defenses gave ground to the opposing attack.

Senegal's mid-second-half substitutions didn't change the outcome

The visiting coaching staff made four changes between the 54th and 72nd minutes.

Trying to shift momentum after Norway had gone ahead — the attempts fell short despite Sarr's second goal in stoppage time.

Corners were close, but the box-shot count told a different story

5 corners for the hosts against 4 for the visitors, with 11 shots from inside the box for Norway against 10 for Senegal.

The numbers confirm a tight, even battle in the attacking third throughout the match.

The group stage nears its decisive phase

Both teams had already secured a spot in the tournament's knockout rounds.

So the result carried more of a seeding significance ahead of the round of 32, where opponents will be determined by final group position.