Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal through the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Ivory Coast and Norway in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas — Erling Haaland savored the moment after Norway won a knockout game on the World Cup for the primary time, a celebration that included a horned helmet atop his head and again sitting on the sphere with teammates to do the Viking Row in synch with their red-clad fans.
“That is unbelievable. That is history,” Haaland said on the sphere after the sport.
A slight tap from Haaland’s left foot within the 86th minute was the difference as Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Tuesday, establishing one other World Cup match against five-time champion Brazil — 28 years after a victory that many consider the best ever for the Norwegians.
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For now, they like to enjoy their latest accomplishment.
“What we’re going to take into consideration now’s to benefit from the win today. We’re really completely happy and happy with ourselves,” said Martin Odeegaard, the team’s captain who banged the drum to set the pace for the postgame row. “Hopefully we are able to keep dreaming and keep believing and keep performing like we did.”
Antonio Nusa scored the opening goal in the primary half with a curling kick for Norway, which in its fourth World Cup will next play within the round of 16 against Brazil on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Recent Jersey.
“This is actually a dream come true,” Nusa said in translated remarks.
Norway is in its first World Cup since that 1998 appearance, when the team got to the knockout round only after scoring goals within the 83rd and 89th minutes for an incredible 2-1 comeback win over then-reigning World Cup champion Brazil within the group finale.
Amad Diallo, who had prevented Norway from taking a two-goal lead earlier within the second half, evened the match for Ivory Coast with a left-footed kick within the 74th minute.
World Cup: Haaland scores 2 more, Norway through to next round
Even after Haaland’s go-ahead goal, his Norway record sixtieth in 53 matches, Ivory Coast kept pressing and had a likelihood to equalize with a direct free kick by Diallo within the sixth minute of stoppage time. Orjan Nyland made a leaping stop, the last of his 4 saves, when he deflected the ball away as he prolonged his left hand across his body.
“After their equalizer, it was easy to panic. But we got our players in the appropriate position and managed to play our game again,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said.
Haaland’s 27 touches were the fewest of any Norway player who played the total match, but he was open after three defenders converged when Patrick Berg moved into the penalty area with the ball before making a fast pass. It was a slow roll over the road after coming off the foot of Haaland, who lunged forward as if he might need to kick it again.
It was his Haaland’s fifth goal in three games at this yr’s tournament. That’s one behind Lionel Messi, who has six for Argentina and scored three of those in two group games at the house of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Haaland, who won the Golden Boot within the Premier League last season with 27 goals for Manchester City, has scored in 13 straight competitive international games — a complete of 25 goals in that span.
The youthful Elephants, ranked thirty first by FIFA, had never before won twice in the identical World Cup. This was the fourth World Cup appearance for the West African nation, the identical as Norway.
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“We’re proud for what we achieved,” Diallo said. “But a giant disappointment because we knew we now have quality within the team, we now have players that could make a difference anytime.”
Nusa scored his first World Cup goal within the thirty ninth minute when he took a number of strides past the left corner of the penalty area and sent a right-footed kick between two defenders toward the far post.
Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana made a diving attempt on the ball that was just beyond his prolonged reach, and he was still in air when he turned his head back to see the ball curl into the web. It was Nusa’s ninth international goal in 28 games for Norway.
Diallo evened the rating at 1-1 after a give-and-go with Nicolas Pepe, who had scored each Ivory Coast goals in its previous game and was stopped by Nyland within the fifty fifth minute. Diallo found space for his left-footed blast.
That got here only about eight minutes after Torbjorn Heggen had a shot for Norway that was deflected away by Diallo, who was right next to his keeper.
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Nusa’s yellow card in stoppage time before the half arrange a free kick by Pepe, but the following header went left of the post.