Erling Haaland was Norway’s hero once again, scoring a late winner to seal a thrilling 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast and send his side into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
Norway made a bright start and took the lead in the 39th minute through Antonio Nusa, who capped off a fine attacking move with a composed finish to give the Scandinavians a deserved halftime advantage.
Ivory Coast responded after the break and found a way back into the contest in the 74th minute. Amad Diallo latched onto a well-worked attack and fired home the equaliser, setting up a tense finale.
Just when the match appeared destined for extra time, Haaland stepped up. The prolific striker met Patrick Berg’s low cross in the 86th minute and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to restore Norway’s lead and spark wild celebrations among the Norwegian supporters.
The victory marks a historic milestone for Norway, who advance to the World Cup Round of 16, where they will face five-time champions Brazil in what promises to be one of the tournament’s most anticipated clashes.
For Ivory Coast, the defeat brings an end to an impressive World Cup campaign, while Norway continue their dream run with hopes of causing another upset.
Richard Achore is a versatile Ghanaian sports journalist, media administrator, and officer with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Founder of the online sports portal Ghsportsnews.com and Ghana Talk News