At the final whistle in New Jersey Norway’s players collapsed on to the rain-drenched grass, tumbled over one another in a genuinely passionate celebratory embrace, then gathered to sit in close formation in front of their fans like primary school kids in a particularly cramped assembly hall.
Off to one side Martin Ødegaard began to beat on a drum provided for the occasion, while the players and staff did the Viking-rowing-boat-plus-Icelandic-style-hu-cheer in concert with their fans, a routine the Norwegians have been rolling out at this World Cup.
It was a lovely moment, one you will probably have seen on social media by now, and a genuinely warm celebration of Norway’s 3-2 defeat of Senegal, which means they have now qualified for the knockout phase for the first time since France 1998.
Norway were never really dark horses at this World Cup. They were always just horses, a talented team with strength in depth that isn’t, we are repeatedly reminded, just about Erling Halland. But which, is let’s face it, also massively about Erling Haaland, if only because he is frankly a phenomenon in their colours.
Norway had started slowly before overrunning a disappointing Senegal with three goals in 15 minutes either side of the break. If there was any surprise about Haaland’s contribution it was that he only scored two of these, taking his total to four at this World Cup, 57 in 51 caps and 16 in his last eight for Norway. It is just a ridiculous set of numbers, so skewed it looks like a misprint. What are we dealing with here exactly? The only thing comparable to Haaland and Norway right now is Haaland and Norway.
Norway now sit alongside France at the top of Group I, both on six points. Senegal and Iraq have zero, their only contribution to illustrate the folly of the format. After two defeats and six goals conceded Senegal really should be going home, not considering who they might still play in the next round (this includes: England).
Kalidou Koulibaly in particular had a nightmare here, taking a hand in all three Norway goals with a series of cinematic, unconcealable mistakes.
From the start it felt like this game was being played on the deck of a mega-tanker in the North Sea, with dark, teeming skies above the iron hull of the New York New Jersey Stadium, and a vague fear that at any second a huge salty surge might slop over one end and wash the game overboard.
New Jersey had been drenched by steady rain all afternoon, one of those days where the sky just seems to descend and wrap the world in a thick grey fog. It was chilly too, jarringly so after the heat of the last few days.
The ground here will stage the final next month ahead of more state of the art arenas elsewhere. It is a large blank, clanky looking thing, rising up out of the Tarmac like a discarded alien hubcap. Inside it has a coliseum feel, with a triple layer of roof-less triple stands, and a ring of large menacing coiled black speakers overhead, like giant sleeping vampire bats.
Norway were in black, Senegal in white. And Norway pressed from the start, winning a series of corners and planting their taller players at the back of the box, Arsenal-style. Defending a corner against Norway. This really doesn’t look like much fun. Kristoffer Ajer somehow failed to score from the fourth of them, heading at Édouard Mendy from three yards out.
Senegal pressed on the right for a while, but without any real precision. Nicolas Jackson was lively, mobile and usually offside. Or in other words, Nicolas Jackson was Nicolas Jackson.
Julian Ryerson limped off on 12 minutes with what looked like a muscular injury and was replaced at right back by Marcus Holmgren Pedersen who immediately galloped outside and cut the ball back nicely for Ødegaard to shovel a shot over.
Otherwise this was a bitty, low quality game in the opening pre-hydration quarter, Hydro Quart One, or whatever we’re calling it. On 36 minutes Norway produced the best moment to that point, Antonio Nusa curling a diagonal cross to Haaland, who nodded the ball back cleverly to Ødegaard, whose volleyed finish was saved well by the legs of Mendy.
As the break approached Norway seemed to realise they were playing opponents who seemed enervated by the moment. The opening goal came from two Senegalese mistakes combined with a sharp piece of finishing. First Koulibaly just gave the ball away under no pressure to Pedersen close to the edge of the Senegal box. He skated outside and scored with a decent enough shot that Mendy really should have saved.
Haaland should have added another in stoppage time, as Mendy was caught horribly in possession this time. His pirouetting sidefoot clanked away off the far post. But Haaland was always going to score here against the combination of an error prone centre half and a goalkeeper who seemed suddenly to be paddling.
The goal came three minutes into the second half, and it was Norway’s dream goal, the goal you picture in your most fevered imaginings of Norway scoring. Ødegaard carried the ball forward, delayed just long enough, and nudged a perfectly weighted pass into the channel between two defenders to meet Haaland’s run, a pass so good it teased Koulibaly into sprawling on the turf. Haaland’s finish on his left foot was instant and punishing, zinged hard into the far top corner, the most perfect example of his executioner’s art.
Senegal roused themselves and pulled one back on 52 minutes via a zippy passing move, Sadio Mané easing the ball into the path of Ismaïla Sarr, who bumped away a defender and nudged at full stretch past Ørjan Nyland.
But on 57 minutes Haaland had his second, again assisted by a terrible error from Koulibaly, who couldn’t shift his feet quickly enough to keep the ball in front of his own goal. Patrick Berg cut the ball back and Haaland finished really well, right-footed on the volley, leaping a little and sidefooting it just under the bar.
Senegal pushed hard at the end and pulled a late goal back through Sarr. But their muddled, diffident showing here never matched the pre tournament confidence of this team. A few weeks ago Senegal’s manager Pape Thiaw said he would rather resign than give up on his belief Senegal can actually win this World Cup. Well, he’s still afloat for now. A final win against Iraq could still see Senegal go through.
Thiaw also said he thought Norway were the best European team right now, and they really did look good here at times, not just solid but with real invention and speed in attack. Norway have excellent support. They have no burden of expectation. Above all they have the annihilating goal-hunger of Haaland. Just horses then. But not far behind the favourites at an unusually open World Cup.
