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 beat Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 in the World Cup round of 32 thanks to Erling Haaland's late winner, setting up a highly-anticipated clash against Brazil in the last 16.
In the first meeting between Norway and Cote d'Ivoire, neither side created much until the 39th minute, when Antonio Nusa gathered from Martin Odegaard and delivered a moment of magic with a curling shot into the net.
The game opened up after the break, as Nicolas Pepe's strike was denied by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, while at the other end Torbjorn Heggem's attempt was cleared off the line by Amad Diallo.
Diallo then drew Cote d'Ivoire level in the 74th minute, when the Manchester United winger completed a give-and-go with Pepe before firing past Nyland to make it 1-1.
As the game seemed destined for a draw, Haaland, who was marked closely by defenders throughout, broke through in the 86th minute when Oscar Bobb's through ball found Patrick Berg who rolled across for the Manchester City striker to tap in.
The African side pushed for an equalizer in the dying minutes, with Amad going close from a free kick, but Nyland's flying save kept it at bay.
