The Norwegian “Viking row” chant lives on at the World Cup.
In a Round of 32 battle between two dark horses at this year’s tournament, it was Norway that punched its ticket to the next round with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday.
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Of course, it was Erling Haaland that scored the game-winner, making it five goals for the 6-foot-5 striker at this World Cup. He trails only Lionel Messi’s six-goal tally in the Golden Boot race.
Ivory Coast opened the game as the better and more confident side, as Nicolas Pepe created havoc on the right flank with Yan Diomande’s speed a threat on the left.
But both teams only began trading blows after the hydration break, where Ivory Coast still retained possession despite struggling with its question marks at the striker position.
Norway, coming off a 4-1 loss to France in which 10 players were rotated, struggled to find rhythm until captain Martin Odegaard dropped deep from his advanced midfield position to collect the ball and build up better.
And that’s how the goal came late in the first half.
In the 39th minute, Odegaard swung the ball wide to the left flank. Left winger Antonio Nusa, Norway’s breakout player, showed off his magic feet and finessed the ball into the top right corner in style.
Norway led at halftime but started the second half by dropping off into a more defensive shape. Such strategies have often been backfired at this tournament, but it took Ivory Coast a while to equalize.
Ivory Coast made two attacking substitutions in the 60th minute, as Elye Wahi came on at striker for Ange-Yoan Bonny with winger Amad Diallo replacing midfielder Christ Inao Oulai, the latter also enjoying a mini-breakout run.
It would be Diallo to equalize 14 minutes after his entry, making a dazzling run down the right flank before drilling it home in a crowded penalty box.
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It was Diallo’s second goal of the tournament and another key one, as he scored a 90th-minute winner to beat Ecuador in the group-stage opener. Despite the eventual loss, his latest conversion has a solid chance to be a candidate for goal of the tournament.
Norway woke up again from that moment needing a goal before regulation to avoid extra time, as Monday saw two of three games reach that stage. The one that didn’t had a 95th-minute winner.
In the 86th minute, substitute right winger Oscar Bobb played a brilliant through ball into the box to midfielder Patrick Berg. Three defenders chased the ball as Haaland ghosted behind them. Berg then played a perfect pass that avoided the chasing pack and into Haaland’s path.
Despite a mishit, Haaland’s shot just had enough to beat the recovering goalie Yahia Fofana.
Norway held on from there, with a late free kick by Diallo being Ivory Coast’s best chance at a second equalizer.
It’s the first time Norway has won a knockout game at the World Cup. It made the Round of 16 in 1938 and 1998, but lost both times.
Now, it’ll hope for a first ever quarterfinals berth. But it won’t be easy as Brazil, five-time World Cup champions, are next up. Haaland will matchup against Arsenal center-back Gabriel Magalhães, a battle that has become popular in the Premier League.
As for Ivory Coast, its best ever run at the tournament comes to an unfortunate end. The Elephants came in with the most depth they’ve had and could’ve taken down Norway with a more clinical presence up top. They previously made three World Cups in a row from 2006 to 2014, but were grouped in each.
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