Haaland nets brace, Norway join Viking Row after
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- Norway beat Senegal 3-2 on Monday to clinch a knockout-stage spot from Group I, with Friday's game against France in Foxborough, Massachusetts now set to decide the group winner.
- Erling Haaland scored twice to reach four tournament goals, putting him alongside Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane in the Golden Boot race.
- The "Viking Row" — a longboat-formation chant where fans sit and row to a drum, modeled on Iceland's 2016 "Viking Clap" — went viral after Haaland, teammates including Martin Ødegaard, and coach Ståle Solbakken all joined supporters in the stands.
- Haaland has scored in all 12 of Norway's competitive matches dating to October 2024, totaling 24 goals in that run.
- Solbakken downplayed the celebration at his postmatch press conference: "We will not be rowing after the World Cup, but this can be a gimmick during the tournament."
- Haaland conceded that Friday's opponent France are likely to "win against us" and "win the whole tournament."
Why it matters: Norway clinched a knockout-stage spot behind Haaland's four goals in two games, putting him squarely in the Golden Boot race with Messi, Mbappé, and Kane. Friday's showdown with tournament-favorite France in Foxborough will decide who tops Group I, and Haaland himself acknowledged France are likely to win the whole thing.
