Key Points
- Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the World Cup round of 32.
- Erling Haaland scored the winner in the 86th minute.
- Antonio Nusa opened the scoring before Amad Diallo equalized.
- Norway advance to face Brazil on Sunday.
Norway advanced to the World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, sealed by an 86th-minute Erling Haaland goal — the nation's first knockout-stage win at a World Cup, Sky Sports reported. Antonio Nusa put Norway ahead in the 39th minute, Amad Diallo equalized for Ivory Coast in the 74th, and Haaland tapped in Sander Berge's cross to settle it.
For Haaland, it was the knockout moment his career had lacked. The Manchester City striker had already made himself one of the tournament's leading scorers in the group stage — the same run that had him wearing "Braut Haaland" on his Norway shirt to honor his mother — and here he finally carried his country past the World Cup's first knockout hurdle.
Norway now face Brazil on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, a Round of 16 tie that pits Haaland against the five-time champions in a bracket that has already swallowed several favorites. It is Norway's first World Cup Round of 16 since 1998 — the same tournament where they famously beat Brazil 2-1 in the group stage — making Sunday's tie the biggest match of Haaland's international career. Norway won it, beating Brazil 2-1 on two Haaland goals to reach the quarterfinals.
Source: Sky Sports.
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