Erling Haaland steamed into his World Cup debut just as he had intended, scoring twice in a dominant victory over Iraq. It is now Senegal’s turn to try and shackle the Nordic goal-gobbler.
Muzzle Haaland and Norway’s threat rapidly diminishes. Ståle Solbakken’s side hasn’t won a competitive match without a goal from the nation’s greatest ever scorer since October 2021.
Senegal did a decent job of corralling France’s danger men for the first half of its World Cup opener, limiting Les Bleus to just one shot of any kind in the opening 45 minutes. The AFCON final winner (if not champion) had plenty of opportunities of their own, only to squander each one. Kylian Mbappé and Co. don’t often turn down second chances and romped to a 3–1 win. Should Senegal have any joy against Norway and Haaland, a repeat performance of wastefulness cannot be afforded.
