Erling Haaland struck a dramatic late winner to send Norway past a spirited Ivory Coast ide 2-1 in their Round of 32 clash at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, booking a mouth-watering last-16 date with five-time champions Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Manchester City striker, who had been largely starved of service for most of the contest, found the net in the 86th minute when he latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Patrick Berg and slotted the ball past goalkeeper, Yahia Fofana to break Ivorian hearts. It was Haaland’s fifth goal of the tournament, moving him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi at the top of the race for the Golden Boot, and extended his remarkable scoring streak to 13 consecutive international appearances for Norway.

The match had looked destined for extra time after Amad Diallo, introduced from the bench just after the hour mark, produced a moment of brilliance to cancel out Norway’s first-half lead. The Manchester United winger had already made his presence felt before his equaliser, clearing a goal-bound effort off the line during a goalmouth scramble.

Minutes later, he combined in a slick give-and-go with Nicolas Pepe, danced past a couple of challenges inside the box and drilled home a left-footed finish that lifted the Ivorian bench and supporters inside the stadium.

Norway had taken the lead through a moment of real quality just before halftime. Antonio Nusa, set up by captain Martin Odegaard, cut inside from the left and curled a stunning effort beyond Fofana in the 39th minute to send the Scandinavians into the break ahead. The strike continued an impressive run for Odegaard, who has now provided assists in three straight World Cup matches, a feat last achieved by a player at the tournament well over a decade ago.

The second half saw Ivory Coast grow into the contest, with head coach Emerse Fae’s introduction of Diallo proving the turning point that injected fresh urgency into the Elephants’ attack. Even after Haaland’s winner, Diallo almost forced extra time in the dying moments, only for Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to produce a flying save from a well-struck free kick to deny him a second goal of the night.

The victory marks the first time in their history that Norway have won a World Cup knockout match, a significant milestone for a side appearing at the tournament for the first time since 1998. For Ivory Coast, the run ends in heartbreak after they had already made history by reaching the knockout stage for the first time, having finished second in their group behind Germany.

Norway will now turn their attention to Brazil in the Round of 16, a clash that promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the knockout phase as Haaland looks to continue his red-hot scoring form against one of the tournament favourites.

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