Norway secured a place in the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in 28 years with a 3-2 victory over Senegal in New York, a result that triggered a choreographed celebration now emblematic of the tournament. Erling Haaland scored twice early in the second half, after Marcus Holmgren Pedersen had given the Scandinavians a lead just before the interval. Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr replied with two goals for Senegal, but the African champions could not find an equaliser, leaving Norway on six points from two Group I matches and safely through to the last 32.

At the final whistle, the Norway players did not simply applaud their supporters. They sat in rows on the pitch, facing a stand packed with red shirts, and performed the ‘Viking row’ — a synchronised paddling motion that mimics a longship crew. Captain Martin Odegaard, acting as a drummer, beat out the rhythm while the squad, including a visibly amused Haaland, rose and fell in unison. Head coach Stale Solbakken delayed his participation only long enough to run up the stadium stairs and embrace his wife, before taking a seat amid his players. The scene, shared instantly by Haaland on social media, became the defining image of the night.

The ritual is barely three months old. Devised by a group of Norway supporters, it was first deployed during a March friendly against Switzerland but gained little traction until a pre-tournament win over Sweden. Its architects have been at pains to distinguish it from Iceland’s thunderclap, insisting the rowing motion is “essentially different and even cooler.” Initially, several players were sceptical. Torbjørn Heggem told Dagbladet he “didn’t get too excited about the rowing phenomenon, but now I love it.” Patrick Berg admitted he had wondered whether it would “fade away quickly” before the sight of thousands of fans performing it in unison changed his mind.

Back in Norway, where the match finished at 4 a.m. local time, the celebration spilled from living rooms into the streets. In Oslo, around 500 supporters marched up the main boulevard to the Royal Palace, chanting “We’re going to wake up the king!” and sat down in the square to perform the row. The Royal House declined to say whether 89-year-old King Harald V was roused, noting only that it “rejoices with the rest of the country.” Earlier in the week, the Norwegian parliament had concluded a session with its own symbolic row, and fans had filmed themselves rowing in Times Square.

Norway now sit second in Group I, level on points with France but behind on goal difference. The two sides meet on Friday, with top spot — and a potentially more favourable last-16 draw — at stake. For a nation that last appeared at this stage in 1998, the rowing rhythm has already carried them further than many expected, and the next stroke will be against the world champions.