Erling Haaland sent Norway into the last 16 with a winner four minutes from time, and Norway next match is now Brazil at New York New Jersey Stadium. The 2-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire was enough to end Norway’s wait for a knockout tie after only its third such appearance.
Haaland Decides It Late
Norway led through Antonio Nusa in the first half before Amad Diallo levelled for Côte d’Ivoire after a remarkable clearance earlier in the move. Haaland settled it late, taking his Norway total to 60 goals in 53 appearances.
That finish came after a match Norway needed to control after the equaliser. With the game still level deep into the closing stages, Haaland’s strike turned a tight knockout-clinching contest into a ticket to the last 16.
Solbakken’s Selection Gamble
Ståle Solbakken had rested almost his entire side in the final group game against France, and he said before this match, “The decision would stand or fall on the result of this game.” The choice drew heavy criticism because many fans had paid hundreds of dollars to see Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Patrick Berg was the only player to start both of Norway’s last two matches, a sign of how much Solbakken had rotated the group before this stage. After Haaland scored, the coach’s risk became easier to defend.
Solbakken summed up the forward’s value after the winner: “He’s the greatest goalscorer in the world.” He also said, “He brings coldness to the team. He’s very underrated in terms of holding the ball up. To score five goals in the World Cup for a little country like Norway, I don’t think even he thought he could do anything like that. I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.”
Norway Meets Brazil
The payoff is immediate: Brazil awaits in the last 16 at New York New Jersey Stadium. Norway have now moved past the group phase and into a knockout round for the first time since 1998, while Côte d’Ivoire are out after failing to extend their run.
Côte d’Ivoire arrived with recent tournament baggage of their own, having won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 2024 after losing two group games there, including a 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea. Norway’s next task is simpler to state and harder to solve: repeat this edge against Brazil, with Haaland carrying the scoring burden and Solbakken’s rotation now judged by the result it produced.
