Erling Haaland has named France as his favourites to win the World Cup after Norway secured their place in the knockout stages with a 3-2 victory over Senegal. The Manchester City striker scored a second-half brace to help Norway to a vital win, moving them into second place in Group I.
Haaland's brace secures Norway's knockout berth
Haaland now has four goals in his first two World Cup games, having also scored twice in Norway's 4-1 opening win over Iraq. Norway are level on points with France, who top the group after a 3-0 win over Iraq. Both teams face each other in their final group game next Friday in Boston.
Having already secured Norway's spot in the knockouts for the first time since 1998, Haaland admitted he is not concerned about the outcome of the final group-stage match. Speaking to Fox Sports, the 25-year-old said: "Honestly, I don't care much [about the France game]. We're through; we managed to get through, which is incredible, so I couldn't care too much about that game now."
Haaland tips France for tournament glory
Haaland went further, tipping France as the likeliest team to win the entire tournament. "They're probably going to win against us. They're probably going to win the whole tournament," he said.
Reflecting on his goal-scoring performance against Senegal, Haaland added: "Yeah, special again. Another amazing night and super proud. I'm enjoying it a lot. I've been enjoying playing for Norway ever since my debut, and you can see that. The World Cup is nice."
Norway boss Solbakken praises star striker
Norway boss Stale Solbakken praised Haaland's exploits and said the team will do everything to help him win the tournament's Golden Boot. "Well, I mean, today he did miss an open goal, and he could even have scored four," Solbakken joked. "No, I mean, he is the best striker – he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He's scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage.
"It's easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina, but we'll try to give Erling more games, and more help also in the next games. So far, he's on fire and I'm very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage."
Golden Boot race tightens
Haaland currently sits second in the Golden Boot race, tied with France's Kylian Mbappe on four goals. Argentine legend Lionel Messi leads the way on five goals after following up his hat-trick against Algeria with a match-winning brace against Austria on Monday.
