The World Cup's knockout stages now have a distinct Iberian flavour. After a breathless afternoon under the New Jersey sun, Norway have punched their...
The World Cup's knockout stages now have a distinct Iberian flavour. After a breathless afternoon under the New Jersey sun, Norway have punched their ticket to the last 32, edging past Senegal in a five goal thriller that had everything except a moment's peace for the defenders on either side. This was not a chess match; this was a slugfest, played at a frantic tempo that left both benches chewing their nails to the quick.Erling Haaland, as he so often does, provided the defining edge. His two goals were a masterclass in what the modern striker must be: a battering ram and a poacher rolled into one. The first was pure force, a shove of the defender followed by a lashing finish that left the Senegal goalkeeper with no chance. The second was a predator's instinct, sniffing out a loose ball in the box when the Senegalese defence momentarily lost their heads. Clinical finishing is a cliché until you watch a man with the physicality of a heavyweight and the touch of a safecracker do it for real.But make no mistake, this was not a flawless performance from the Nordic side. For all their attacking verve, Norway's defensive organisation was questionable at best. Senegal, to their credit, refused to simply roll over. They exposed the space in behind the Norwegian full backs with worrying regularity, dragging themselves back into the contest twice through moments of genuine quality. Had their finishing been a fraction sharper in the final ten minutes, we might have been looking at extra time. As it was, they ran out of steam and, crucially, ran out of luck. They pushed hard, they pushed long, but they could not force the equaliser. That is the cruel arithmetic of tournament football. You can knock on the door all you like, but if you leave the back door open, Haaland will have already let himself in.This result throws the group wide open. Norway have the points on the board but they need to show more tactical flexibility if they are to survive the knockout rounds. Playing with such a high line against quicker sides will be punished. For Senegal, the pain is raw. They played their part in a brilliant advert for the sport, but the scoreboard does not care for your efforts. They must now dust themselves off and hope other results go their way. For now, the spotlight belongs to Norway and their magnificent, terrifying number nine. The rest of the tournament has been warned.
