Match report
Norway 3-2 Senegal: Haaland Brace Sends Norway Through in Group I
Norway are back in the knockout rounds and Erling Haaland is driving the run. Marcus Pedersen opened the scoring after coming on early, Haaland added goals in the 48th and 58th minutes, Ismaila Sarr kept Senegal alive with a brace, and the 3-2 result sent Norway through from Group I before the final round.
Norway vs Senegal final score
Final score: Norway 3, Senegal 2. AP's match report and the official score data align on the decisive moments: Pedersen put Norway ahead in the 43rd minute, Haaland struck in the 48th and 58th, and Sarr answered twice for Senegal in the 53rd minute and deep into stoppage time.
The match never fully settled because Senegal stayed within reach after Sarr's first goal, but Norway kept creating the clearer finishing moments. Haaland's second goal restored a two-goal cushion and gave the Vikings enough margin to survive the late push.
Available official score data confirms the result sent Norway to six points from two matches. That matters more than the dramatic final minutes, because the group table has now separated cleanly into qualifiers and chasers.
How Group I changed
Group I now has France first on six points with a +5 goal difference, and Norway second on six points with a +4 margin. France stay ahead because their 3-0 win over Iraq left them one goal better on goal difference than Norway's 3-2 win over Senegal.
Senegal and Iraq are both still on zero points after two matches. That means the automatic qualification places are already decided: France and Norway are through to the round of 32 with one game left.
The only major unresolved Group I question is first place. France and Norway meet in the last round, while Senegal and Iraq are left fighting for third place and a distant best-third-place path.
Qualification picture
Norway have qualified automatically because Senegal and Iraq can finish on no more than three points. The clean next target is first place, but Norway need to beat France in the final group match to take the section.
A draw against France would leave Norway on seven points, which still would not overturn France's current goal-difference edge. A loss would also keep Norway second, so the last match is really about seeding and route difficulty rather than survival.
Senegal are not mathematically eliminated from the knockout race, but the route is narrow. They must beat Iraq to finish third on three points and then hope that total is enough in the best-third-place table.
Key players and talking points
Haaland owns the headline because he has four goals in two matches and has turned Norway from interesting outsider into a qualified team with a real chance to win the group. His two finishes came in different ways, which matters because it showed both transition threat and box presence.
Pedersen also changed the match. AP reported that he entered in the 13th minute after Julian Ryerson got hurt, then scored the opener before halftime. That gave Norway a solution even before Haaland took over the scoreline.
On Senegal's side, Sarr at least kept the match alive and AP also reported that goalkeeper Edouard Mendy left in the 63rd minute because of injury. No verified officiating controversy strong enough to redefine the football story appeared across the reviewed sources, so the core facts remain Norway's qualification, Haaland's brace and Senegal's win-or-bust final day.