Haaland’s late winner sends Norway past Ivory Coast and into the last 16

Erling Haaland waited until the 86th minute to settle it, and when he did, Norway had the first knockout win of their World Cup history. The striker tapped in from close range to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the round of 32 and book a last-16 tie with Brazil. For a nation that had never won a match at this stage of a World Cup, it was a night that ended a long wait.

Nusa lights it up before Amad hits back

Norway found the opener six minutes before half-time, and it was worth the entry fee on its own. Antonio Nusa collected a pass from Martin Odegaard on the left, cut inside and bent a right-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box. Yahia Fofana had no chance. It was Norway’s first knockout-stage goal at a World Cup since 1938, a reminder of just how rare these nights have been for them.

Ivory Coast needed an hour to find their feet. The turning point was a substitution: Amad Diallo came on in the 60th minute, cleared one off his own line, and then produced the moment of the comeback. In the 74th minute the Manchester United winger curled a left-footed finish past the goalkeeper to make it 1-1. The goal was the first Ivory Coast have ever scored in a World Cup knockout match, and it set up a finish that looked bound for extra time.

Haaland strikes when it matters

Extra time never came. With the clock running down, Norway worked one last move into the box, defenders were dragged out of position, and the cutback found Haaland unmarked a few yards out. He did not miss. The finish was simple by his standards, but the timing was everything, arriving late enough to leave Ivory Coast no way back.

It was Haaland’s fifth goal of the tournament across just three appearances, and it lifted him to within one of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Norway have leaned on his scoring all summer, and at the moment they needed it most, he delivered again.

Ivory Coast go home, Norway get Brazil

For Ivory Coast, the exit stings. They had clawed their way back to 1-1 and looked the side more likely to nick it before Haaland intervened, and a tournament that promised plenty ends in the round of 32. Amad Diallo’s goal, historic as it was, becomes a footnote on a night that slipped away late.

Norway move on, and the reward is a heavyweight. They face five-time winners Brazil in the round of 16, a fixture loaded with history for them. Norway beat Brazil 2-1 at the 1998 World Cup, one of the great results in their football story, and 28 years on they get another shot. Beating Ivory Coast was a milestone. Getting past Brazil would be something else entirely.

Follow every World Cup knockout result here