Haaland Urges Caution Despite Norway Reaching World Cup Knockout Stage

Posted : 23 June 2026

Erling Haaland has urged Norway to remain grounded despite securing a place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 3-2 victory over Senegal on Monday. The win ensured Norway progressed to the last 32 after back-to-back victories, marking the first time the nation has won consecutive matches at a World Cup tournament.

The Manchester City striker continued his impressive form by scoring twice against Senegal, adding to the two goals he netted in Norway’s opening 4-1 triumph over Iran. Norway have now suffered only one defeat in their last 18 matches and will face 2022 World Cup finalists France in Boston on Friday, with top spot in Group I at stake.

Despite the team's strong performances and a run of 12 consecutive competitive victories, Haaland played down suggestions that Norway could challenge for the title. The striker described reaching the World Cup and advancing beyond the group stage as a significant achievement for a nation making its first tournament appearance since 1998.

Haaland said qualifying for the World Cup and progressing to the knockout rounds would already represent a major success for Norway. However, he dismissed the idea of winning the tournament, while expressing pride in being part of a squad creating history for Norwegian football.

The 24-year-old is among the tournament's leading scorers with four goals, level with France star Kylian Mbappe and one behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals so far and has set a new record as the highest-scoring player in World Cup history with 18 goals.

Haaland’s latest brace also took his international record to an extraordinary 59 goals in 52 appearances for Norway. Reflecting on his scoring ability, he credited his natural instinct in front of goal, describing finishing chances as his greatest strength.

For Senegal, the defeat leaves qualification hopes hanging by a thread. Head coach Pape Thiaw acknowledged the challenge posed by Norway and praised his opponents for their clinical finishing at crucial moments in the match.

Thiaw said Senegal responded well after conceding the opening goal but were punished again before they could fully recover. He stressed the importance of keeping players motivated ahead of their final group match.

Senegal must now defeat Iraq in their last group-stage fixture and hope other results go their way to keep their World Cup campaign alive. While admitting the situation is difficult, Thiaw insisted his team still has a chance and will fight for all three points.

Haaland Urges Caution Despite Norway Reaching World Cup Knockout Stage

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