Erling Haaland struck late to give Norway a memorable 2-1 victory over Cote d\u2019Ivoire in Texas, setting up a last-16 clash with Brazil at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The Manchester City forward turned home from close range, taking just 86 minutes to find the net and push his tournament tally to five goals.<\/p>\n
It also marked a landmark moment for Norway, delivering their first win in a knockout match in the competition\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
After a relatively balanced, slow-to-spark opening period, Antonio Nusa broke the deadlock just six minutes before the interval with one of the standout finishes of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Amad Diallo, brought on for Cote d\u2019Ivoire after the hour mark, immediately made an impact. He prevented what looked like a second Norway goal and then levelled the scores on 74 minutes with a high-quality equaliser.<\/p>\n
As extra time threatened, Haaland\u2014so often at his most dangerous in the closing stages\u2014arrived to meet a cross from Patrick Berg and help Norway create history.<\/p>\n
Norway now take on five-time World Cup winners Brazil on Sunday in New Jersey, with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line.<\/p>\n
At the imposing, air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, a battle between two aggressive, well-organised sides produced a cautious start.<\/p>\n
Cote d\u2019Ivoire threatened around the 20-minute mark when defender Ghislain Konan burst into the Norway area from the left, only to see his effort drift wide.<\/p>\n
Just before the break, the Ivorian camp grew visibly frustrated after Yan Diomande was brought down as he advanced on a dangerous run just inside his own half.<\/p>\n
Referee Jesus Valenzuela made a surprising decision not to show a booking to defender David Moller Wolfe despite the incident\u2019s intensity.<\/p>\n
Diomande, a 19-year-old winger who is widely expected to move to Paris Saint-Germain from RB Leipzig, steadily grew into the contest as the match progressed.<\/p>\n
The African team, one of the youngest at the tournament, looked the more likely, repeatedly threatening down Diomande\u2019s left-hand channel.<\/p>\n
Haaland had limited opportunities to get clean contact, and he could have been sharper after a cushioned header came back into the grasp of goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.<\/p>\n
Then came a moment of real quality: Nusa, supplied by captain Martin Odegaard, stepped inside and curled the ball beautifully into the top corner to restore Norway\u2019s advantage.<\/p>\n
Odegaard reacted with disbelief to the 21-year-old\u2019s finish\u2014his RB Leipzig connection with Diomande making the moment even more striking.<\/p>\n
Norway, who had been runners-up to France in the group stage, pressed for a second before the interval, but Haaland was denied at the last moment by a block from Ibrahim Sangare, who celebrated as though he had scored.<\/p>\n
Cote d\u2019Ivoire, making the knockout rounds for the first time, began the second half by winning their tenth corner.<\/p>\n
Nicolas Pepe was kept at bay when Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland denied him with strong legs as the Ivorian side continued to pile on pressure.<\/p>\n
Norway were still close to a second goal when Diallo cleared off the line after a corner, stopping a breakthrough by just inches.<\/p>\n
With the next round seemingly within reach, the Norway supporters launched into their now-famous rowing celebration in the stands.<\/p>\n
Almost immediately after the chanting stopped, Diallo surged into the box, beating two challenges before producing a spectacular equaliser.<\/p>\n
Haaland then delivered the decisive blow, rising to end Ivorian hopes. Nyland made a dramatic late save, diving to stop Diallo\u2019s well-struck free kick and send Norway through to the last 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Erling Haaland struck late to give Norway a memorable 2-1 victory over Cote d\u2019Ivoire in Texas, setting up a last-16 clash with Brazil at the World Cup. The Manchester City forward turned home from close range, taking just 86 minutes to find the net and push his tournament tally to five goals. It also marked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Haaland\u2019s Late Goal Fuels Norway vs Brazil World Cup","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Erling Haaland scored late as Norway edged Cote d\u2019Ivoire 2-1, making history with their first knockout win and setting up Brazil i","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n