Norway’s players performed an incredible Viking Row with fans to celebrate reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in 28 years after defeating Senegal 3-2 in New York on Tuesday.
The nation has been leaning into its centuries-old Norse history – with fans, players and politicians on board – and it seems to be doing the trick with two wins from two games so far in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Erling Haaland and his teammates posed for an incredible pre-tournament photo shot by British photographer David Yarrow ahead of jetting across the Atlantic, dressed as Vikings ready to conquer the World Cup.
The photoshoot sparked controversy with woke critics accusing them of backing ‘chauvinism’ and use of ‘neo-Nazi’ imagery due to the Vikings’ large-scale raiding, colonising, pillaging and raping throughout their dominant era.
But that hasn’t put Norway off as they continue to stay true to their roots, with captain Martin Odegaard leading an astonishing stadium-wide Viking Row to celebrate the team’s qualification to the knockout stages.
Marcus Holmgren Pedersen fired Norway ahead in the first half against Senegal, before Haaland steered his side to victory with two crucial goals in the second.
Martin Odegaard led a remarkable Viking Row celebration after Norway beat Senegal 3-2
Erling Haaland could be seen front and centre enjoying the show as Odegaard beat the drum
Erling Haaland and his team-mates posed as Vikings for an incredible photo for the World Cup
Senegal twice clawed a goal back through Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr but it was not enough to earn a result, leaving them on zero points with one match to go.
The victory meant Norway, who defeated Iraq 4-1 in their first match, successfully qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since 1998, and the players were determined to celebrate in style.
A drum was brought out on to the pitch at the New York New Jersey Stadium for captain Odegaard, who led the astonishing Viking Row ritual.
Haaland and his teammates sat on the turf and performed a rowing motion along with thousands in the stadium as conductor Odegaard beat the drum with passion, speeding up with each strike.
Norway’s football team are clearly still very in touch with their Viking roots, as not only demonstrated by the celebration but also by their pre-World Cup team photograph, which went viral worldwide.
The images were labelled ‘chauvinistic and exclusionary’ by Norwegian journalist Markus Slettholm, who reports for the newspaper Morgenbladet.
Meanwhile, Jane Haug Skjoldli, a researcher and Norwegian academic recently argued that the Norway kits for the World Cup could be seen as ‘hyper-masculine and right-wing extremist’, when speaking to Klassekampen.
Despite the backlash, the eye-catching Viking Row celebration has been copied by fans, players and even Norwegian politicians.
World Cup fever has spread to Norway’s parliament, where elected representatives performed a recreation of the rowing on the other side of the Atlantic.
Before, during and after Norway’s opening 4-1 win over Iraq in Boston, the country’s red-clad fans, many of them wearing Viking helmets, were pictured rowing in unison in bars, on public transport and even on escalators around the stadium as they embraced the heritage of their seafaring Scandinavian forefathers.
Photographer David Yarrow captured Haaland and Co dressed as the Vikings in the shoot
Norway’s politicians perform the ‘rowing’ cheer in parliament last week
Haaland netted twice to send Norway to the World Cup knockouts for the first time since 1998
Last Thursday’s parliamentary session was briefly interrupted when the speaker suggested that the members repeat the fans’ rowing action to show the nation’s support for the ongoing campaign, and the parliamentarians responded enthusiastically in a cross-party display of unity.
Norway’s pre-tournament photoshoot came as a suggestion to the team – but got full endorsement from Haaland and the rest of the squad which includes Premier League stars Martin Odegaard, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Sander Berge and Oscar Bobb.
‘It was an ask or a question from the (photographers),’ Norway manager Stale Solbakken said in advance of his team’s World Cup opener. ‘The players wanted me to do it. They were positive. The federation was positive. And I was average positive. And then we did it.’
Norway will next meet France at the World Cup in their final group stage game, with both sides already picking up two wins from their opening two matches.
The clash will be branded as the battle between in-form Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who have each scored four goals so far in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
