Erling Haaland scored his second brace of the World Cup as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 to secure a place in the last 32 at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen struck late in the first half before Haaland doubled the lead after the break.

Ismaila Sarr pulled one back for Senegal, but Haaland punished more slack defending to restore the two-goal cushion. Sarr scored a late consolation, but Norway held on to advance with a game to spare.

The Manchester City forward now has four goals in two tournament games, chasing Lionel Messi's record 18 World Cup goals. Kylian Mbappe also scored a brace as France beat Iraq 3-0 on the same day.

Norway have lost only once in their last 18 matches and face France in a battle for top spot in Boston on Friday. Senegal must beat Iraq in their final group game to avoid elimination.

Haaland increased his international tally to 59 goals in 52 games, leading Norway to back-to-back World Cup wins for the first time. Senegal's defensive errors proved costly as they paid heavily for their mistakes.

Source: www.aljazeera.com