Wednesday July 1, 2026
Erling Haaland celebrates his late winner as Norway beat Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium, the United States, June 30, 2026. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
Norway booked a place in the World Cup last 16 after Erling Haaland struck late to seal a tense 2-1 victory over Cote d’Ivoire in the round of 32, sending the Scandinavians into a much-anticipated showdown with Brazil.
In the first-ever meeting between the two sides, clear chances were scarce for long spells, but Norway found a breakthrough in the 39th minute. Antonio Nusa collected the ball from Martin Odegaard and produced the standout moment of the first half, bending a fine shot into the net.
Haaland should have made it two minutes later, but Ibrahim Sangare made a decisive block to prevent Norway from going two up.
The contest became more open after halftime. Nicolas Pepe saw his effort stopped by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, while at the other end Torbjorn Heggem’s shot was hacked off the line by Amad Diallo.
Diallo then brought Cote d’Ivoire level in the 74th minute, finishing a neat one-two with Pepe before driving the ball past Nyland to make it 1-1.
Just when the match appeared headed for extra tension, Haaland delivered the decisive blow in the 86th minute. After Oscar Bobb slipped a pass through, Patrick Berg squared the ball across for the Manchester City forward, who finished from close range despite being tightly marked for much of the night.
Cote d’Ivoire threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer in the closing stages, and Amad came close from a free kick, but Nyland responded with a diving save to preserve Norway’s lead.
