By Philip O'Connor
June 22 (Reuters) - Norway's players sat on the pitch and performed the "rowing" celebration made iconic by their fans during the World Cup after reaching the knockout stage with a nervy 3-2 win over Senegal.
At their first finals since 1998, red-clad Norwegian fans have been doing their Viking row in stadiums, on escalators and even in New York's Times Square, but it has never been more emotional or joyous than after the final whistle on Monday.
Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland,
whose double helped secure the win, brought the squad together to perform the row in front of the fans but they had to wait for coach Stale Solbakken, who sprinted up the steps in the stand at the final whistle to kiss and hug his wife.
With the squad sitting in rows resembling those of a Viking longboat and Solbakken squeezing into the middle behind Haaland, Odegaard began beating the drum to a joyous climax.
TV pictures showed fans back in Trondheim joining in as the celebration brought Norway supporters around the world together.
"It was incredibly fun," forward Alexander Sorloth said beaming. "A lot more fun than I would have thought. When you hear the sound, it's magical."
Asked how far he and the Viking rowing might take him and his team at the World Cup, Sorloth was confident.
"We'll see, but if we reach our top level, it's a tournament and everything can happen, but if we reach our top level, we can go far," he said.
Norway are second in the group with six points, behind France on goal difference, with the two teams meeting in their final Group I game on Friday.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Tommy Lund; Editing by Ken Ferris)
