After two matches, Erling Haaland has already scored four goals – the Norwegian forward netted twice in games against Iraq and Senegal. The Lions of Teranga struggled to find a way to contain the opposition’s star striker.
“He is one of the best forwards in the world, and playing against him is incredibly challenging. For most of the game, it was very difficult to stop him, as you could clearly see,” admitted Ismail Jakobs, Senegal’s defender.
“There weren’t any surprises. We analyzed their game thoroughly. It’s easy to say we should have done things differently, but we know Haaland very well. He needs no introduction.
We didn’t have a specific plan to counter Haaland, but rather for the entire Norwegian team. We need to focus on ourselves and learn lessons from this game,” said head coach Pape Thiaw in a conversation with Nettavisen.
In the final group stage match of the World Cup, Senegal will face Iraq. Both teams now face a must-win situation to secure a spot in the round of 16.