Norway Beat Senegal 3-2: Haaland Brace, Group B Table
Haaland brace lifts Norway past Senegal 3-2 in 2026 World Cup Group B opener. See the stats, table, and what comes next.
EAST RUTHERFORD — Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in the 2026 World Cup Group B opener at MetLife Stadium on early Tuesday WIB, and Erling Haaland delivered the decisive punch with two second-half goals. The win put Norway top of the group on goal difference, ahead of France.
It was a night of swings. Senegal had more of the ball, more passes and more territory, but Norway took the chances that mattered and left with three points from a match watched by more than 80,000 fans in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Pedersen struck first
The opening half did not look like a five-goal game. Senegal held 58 percent possession and worked the flanks, but Norway stayed compact and cut out the clean final ball. The pressure was there. The breakthrough was not.
Norway made their first real opening count. Marcus Pedersen finished off a Julian Ryerson assist in the 43rd minute, giving the Scandinavians a 1-0 lead at the break. Simple. Efficient. Enough to tilt the match.
Haaland changed the game
Three minutes after halftime, Martin Ødegaard found Haaland with a precise through ball, and the Manchester City striker made it 2-0. That goal forced Senegal to chase harder, and the game opened up fast.
Ismaïla Sarr answered in the 53rd minute after Sadio Mané set him up, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and briefly shifting the mood inside MetLife Stadium. For a few minutes, Senegal looked ready to turn the night around.
Not for long. Five minutes later, Patrick Berg floated in a ball and Haaland finished with the kind of calm that has made him one of the game’s most feared forwards. 3-1. Two goals. No fuss.
Sarr scored again deep in stoppage time, finishing Nicolas Jackson’s assist in the 90+3rd minute, but Norway had already done enough. The final whistle came with the score at 3-2 and Senegal left wondering how a match with more control had slipped away.
Senegal controlled possession, Norway controlled the danger
The numbers backed up the split in the contest. Senegal finished with 16 shots to Norway’s 13 and completed 429 passes at 88 percent accuracy. Norway, though, were sharper in the box and more ruthless in front of goal.
| Statistic | Norway | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 3 | 2 |
| xG | 2.10 | 1.70 |
| Possession | 42% | 58% |
| Total shots | 13 | 16 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 4 |
| Shots in box | 11 | 10 |
| Accurate passes | 283 | 429 |
| Passing accuracy | 80% | 88% |
Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio handled the match. The contrast was clear from the numbers and from the eye test: Senegal had control, Norway had the edge where it mattered.
That matters for teams watching the tournament in the United States. Possession can look neat. It can even feel dominant. But in a short group stage, finishing power and box efficiency usually decide who moves first and who spends the next round under pressure.
Group B pressure rises quickly
Norway now sit first in Group B with three points and a +3 goal difference. France also have three points, but only a +1 goal difference. Iraq and Senegal remain on zero.
| Position | Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 3 | +3 |
| 2 | France | 3 | +1 |
| 3 | Iraq | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Senegal | 0 | -2 |
Matchday 2 now carries real weight. Norway face France in a clash between two teams that began with wins and two elite attacking threats. Senegal, meanwhile, meet Iraq in what now feels close to a must-win game if they want to stay in the race for the round of 32.
Haaland left MetLife Stadium as the headline act. Two goals. One statement. And a group table that now belongs to Norway after the opening night’s 3-2 thriller.
