“Maybe France will beat us”. Haaland cools Norway FIFA World Cup hype ahead of Mbappe showdown Football News:
Erling Haaland knocked Norway out of the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup, but the striker was not taken. After scoring twice in Norway’s 3-2 win over Senegal on Tuesday, Haaland said the team should enjoy the moment rather than start talking about winning the tournament.The Manchester City forward now has four World Cup goals, level with France’s Kylian Mbappe and one behind Lionel Messi. Norway’s win also took them to six points in Group I, alongside France, with the two sides set to meet on Friday to decide the group winner.When asked about facing France, Haaland responded with a dose of realism.“I don’t care, we’re done. Maybe we’ll beat them and go on and win the whole tournament.”Norway reached the World Cup knockout rounds in their first appearance at the tournament since 1998. Haaland, who has now scored 59 goals in 52 international matches, said the achievement should be appreciated.Asked if this could be his World Cup, he said.“Depends on what you mean by that. To qualify for the first time in 28 years and go through the group stage, yes, I’d say.”“To win the World Cup, absolutely not. I think we can be a little realistic here, and we will be happy, every single Norwegian on the planet today.”Norway’s progress sparked celebrations from supporters. Before the match, fans gathered in Times Square and held the now famous Viking Row celebration, which has become a symbol of Norway’s World Cup campaign. After the victory, the players joined in the celebration on the pitch.Speaking about the moment, Haaland said, “It was crazy.”“Martin (Odegaard) and I talked about it before the match, whether we should participate if everything goes its way, and it did, so it’s a special moment I can say for the whole of Norway.”The 25-year-old compared the feeling to one of the biggest moments of his career.“I think it’s right up there with the greatest nights I’ve had? in my entire life. I had a little bit of the same feeling? that I had? after the (2023) Champions League final (victory). It was amazing.With Norway already in the knockout stage, attention is now on their final group match against France, which will decide who will finish on top of Group I.
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