Haaland scores twice as Norway row into second round

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey:

Erling Haaland and Norway rowed their way into the World Cup’s round of 32.

Haaland scored twice to raise his World Cup goals total to four, and the Vikings clinched advancement with a 3-2 win over Senegal on Monday night.

After the final whistle, Norway’s players and staff gathered tightly in a 10-row formation just inside the penalty area at MetLife Stadium’s north end, facing their red-shirted supporters, Haaland sitting in front as teammate Martin Ødegaard banged on a bongo drum. They alternated with the fans performing the Viking Row — chanting “Ro!” while mimicking oarsmen.

“It was fun for the players to join in,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said through an interpreter. “We will not be rowing after the World Cup, but this will be a gimmick throughout the tournament.”

Marcus Pederson had put the Vikings ahead in the 43rd minute after replacing an injured teammate, and Haaland kept up his incredible goals streak in the 48th and 58th minutes to build a 3-1 lead.

Haaland has 24 goals in his last 12 international games — scoring at least once in every match — and 59 goals in 52 international appearances. The 25-year-old striker joined England’s Harry Kane in 2018 as the only players in the last 50 years with two-goal games in their first two World Cup appearances.

He is second in the Golden Boot race, one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi and tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé. Haaland nearly got another in first-half stoppage time, hitting a post after Mendy lost control of the ball.

“He could have scored even four,” Solbakken said. “It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France or Argentina.”

Ismaïla Sarr scored in the 53rd minute and in the third minute of second-half stoppage time for the Lions of Teranga.