The Norwegian forward scored twice in a 3-2 win over Senegal to send his country into the knockout stages and continue one of the most prolific international goalscoring streaks in football history.Erling Haaland arrives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the expectations expected of every elite striker, and just two games after making his debut on football’s biggest stage, he has begun to translate that expectation into a series of performances that have reshaped Norway’s place in World Cup history.Haaland scored twice to help Norway defeat Senegal 3-2 in an exciting Group 1 match at MetLife Stadium to secure qualification for the last 32 and a decisive group final against France on June 27 to determine first place in the group.For Norway, who are participating in their first World Cup since 1998, the victory marked a long-awaited return to the international stage, while for Haaland it represented another step in a remarkable international career that has continued to build momentum with every appearance.
Norway recover from Senegal pressure to secure promotion
For much of the opening minutes, Senegal matched Norway’s intensity and threatened to disrupt their rhythm, forcing Solbakken’s side into a game that required patience and attacking quality. The breakthrough finally came in the 43rd minute when a costly misunderstanding between Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy allowed Marcus Holmgren-Pederson to capitalize to give Norway the lead before the break.That moment changed the balance of the game and Norway carried the advantage into the second half with newfound confidence. Just two minutes after the restart, Martin Odegaard delivered a pass that reflected both his vision and precision, sending a perfect through ball into the path of Haaland, with the striker finishing calmly to double the lead.
Norway’s Erling Haaland (No. 9) scores the third goal during the World Cup Group One soccer match between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephen Collingwood)
Senegal reacted quickly, with Sadio Mane moving forward to create space for Ismaila Sarr, who fell to the ground and finished the shot in the 53rd minute, narrowing the gap and temporarily restoring the tension of the game.However, Haaland’s influence once again proved decisive. In the 58th minute, he received the ball for the first time in the penalty area, hit the crossbar with a powerful volley, and then crossed the baseline. The Norwegian team restored the two-goal advantage and firmly controlled the situation of the game.Sarr’s second stoppage-time goal kept the game tense, but Norway sealed victory to ensure they qualified for the knockout rounds.
Haaland becomes Norway’s greatest World Cup goalscorer
Haaland has not scored at the World Cup, but he has scored four goals in two games and is now Norway’s top scorer in World Cup history. In the process, he broke the previous national record of two goals held by Kjetil Reykdal, which had stood since Norway last participated in the 1998 World Cup, meaning Haaland broke a record that had not been broken for 28 years.
Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) reacts during the World Cup Group One soccer match between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is not just the number itself, but also the speed with which it was achieved, as it took Haaland just two appearances to establish himself as the player with the most goals in World Cup matches.All four of his goals came in back-to-back games against Iraq and Senegal, making him one of a group of players who have started their World Cup campaign with remarkable goalscoring consistency.
This achievement has only occurred six times in World Cup history
Haaland scored twice against Senegal, becoming the sixth player in history to score multiple goals in each of the first two World Cups.This exclusive list covers almost a century of competition history and includes some of the greatest strikers in football.Before Haaland, only five players had achieved the feat, each scoring astonishingly in the first two games:
- Guillermo Stabile (Argentina, 1930): Scored a hat-trick on his debut against Mexico, then scored twice against Chile.
- Sándor Kocsis (Hungary, 1954): Scored a hat-trick against South Korea and then scored four goals against West Germany.
- Just Fontaine (France, 1958): Scored a hat-trick against Paraguay, followed by a brace against Yugoslavia.
- Grzegorz Rato (Poland, 1974): Scored two consecutive goals against Argentina and Haiti.
- Harry Kane (England, 2018): Scored twice on debut against Tunisia and then scored a hat-trick against Panama.
Now Haaland has joined them, scoring twice in quick succession against Iraq and Senegal.Even more impressive is the fact that he is only the second player in the past 50 years to achieve this milestone, following Kane’s brilliant start for England in Russia eight years ago.It’s been a remarkable World Cup for a player making his World Cup debut at the age of 25.
A scoring record unlike any in modern football
While his performance at the World Cup attracted widespread attention, it was only part of a wider international record that continues to set new benchmarks.Haaland’s two goals against Senegal took his tally to 59 goals in 52 appearances for Norway, giving him a goals-per-game average of 1.13, the highest total for a men’s national team player in the past 100 years with at least 50 caps.To understand the scale of this achievement, it is necessary to consider the players who followed him:
- Erling Haaland (Norway): 59 goals in 52 games – 1.13 goals per game
- Sándor Kocsis (Hungary): 75 goals in 68 games – 1.10 goals per game
- Gerd Müller (West Germany): 68 goals in 62 games – 1.10 goals per game
- Harry Kane (England): Approximately 0.65 goals per game
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): Approximately 0.62 goals per game
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): Approximately 0.59 goals per game
As a result, Haaland’s efficiency not only puts him ahead of his contemporaries, but also ahead of many of the most prolific scorers in football history.His latest goal continues his remarkable run of consistency, which has now seen him score in 12 consecutive games for Norway and 18 of his last 21 international appearances.
Battle for Golden Boot intensifies ahead of France’s decisive match
Haaland’s brace also ensured that he remains firmly in contention for the Golden Boot, with four goals in two games, level with France captain Kylian Mbappe and only one behind Messi, who scored five in Argentina’s most recent game.Norway’s promotion ensures Haaland will have more opportunities to add to his tally, starting with Friday’s game against France, a match that will decide the winner of Group One and also bring together two of the most prolific forwards at the World Cup.Kylian Mbappe came on after scoring twice against Iraq, while Haaland came in after another decisive role against Senegal, setting the stage for a game of both competitive and personal significance.For Norway, promotion to the knockout stages marks their first such achievement since 1998, but for Haaland the focus remains beyond the qualification rounds as his four goals in two games have already placed him among the tournament’s standout performers and his influence is likely to continue to grow as the competition progresses.
