Erling Haaland’s late winning goal sends Norway through to Round of 16, eliminating Ivory Coast
By Kyle Feldscher, CNN
(CNN) — Erling Haaland’s late goal was enough to see Norway through to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eliminating the Ivory Coast in a thrilling 2-1 match at Dallas Stadium.
The Norwegians opened the scoring in the first half before Les Éléphants equalized with one of the great goals scored so far in this tournament, but it was Haaland who seized the moment with the crucial final goal.
After long periods in their own half to start the match, Norway broke the deadlock with a strike from Antonio Nusa that curled into the far corner. The 39th-minute goal was against the run of play as the Norwegians had largely been chasing the game for most of the opening half hour before starting to come into the match more just before Nusa’s effort.
Minutes later, Haaland nearly doubled the Norwegian advantage on a close-range shot that was blocked, resulting in a corner that the imposing striker just failed to get on the end of.
Norway took the 1-0 lead into halftime, having carried much of the play following the goal and feeling on top of the game.
The second half began wide open, with both teams having great opportunities to score next. The best opportunity came on another Norwegian corner kick when Torbjørn Heggem’s close-range shot looked destined for the back of the net before being blocked off the line by Ivory Coast midfielder Amad Diallo.
At the second-half hydration break, the Norwegians made some defensive-minded subs to try to see the game out. It didn’t quite work out as the Ivory Coast equalized only minutes later through a mazy run and class finish by Diallo.
The Manchester United player ran a quick give-and-go with Nicolas Pépé, taking the short return pass and then dribbling through the Norwegian defense. Diallo took a left-footed shot that slammed into the turf and popped up over Ørjan Nyland and into the back of the net.
But in the final minutes, it was once again the seemingly inevitable Haaland goal that put Norway ahead.
The move came down the Norwegian right, as Patrick Berg was fed in with an exquisite through ball. Berg crossed into the middle of the box to Haaland, who had an open net to shoot at. He took a soft touch – it almost appeared to be an attempt to control the ball that got away from him – and the ball scooted over the line to give Norway a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute.
Haaland now has five goals scored at this tournament.
The Ivory Coast had late opportunities, putting pressure on Norway as they tried to force 30 minutes of extra time, including an incredible save by Nyland off a Diallo free kick in the final minutes.
Norway goes on to play five-time World Cup champion Brazil on July 5.
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