World Cup 2026: Haaland fires Norway into Round of 16 after 2-1 win over Ivory Coast

Tue 30th Jun, 2026 19:07

Erling Haaland scored his fifth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday as Norway edged Ivory Coast 2-1 in a tense Round of 32 encounter at AT&T Stadium to book their place in the Round of 16.

The Manchester City striker played the full 90 minutes and delivered when it mattered most, striking late to secure a hard-fought victory for the Norwegians.

Ivory Coast started brightly and nearly capitalised on an early opening when Nicolas Pépé found space inside the box, but his effort was brilliantly blocked by the Norwegian defence.

Norway, however, struck first in the 39th minute through Antonio Nusa, who weaved past defenders before unleashing a spectacular strike from the edge of the box into the top right corner. Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana had no chance.

Just minutes later, Haaland came close to doubling the lead when he reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area, but his effort was cleared off the line by a desperate defensive intervention.

Ivory Coast responded strongly in the second half and created several dangerous moments.

Nicolas Pepe was again involved, forcing a sharp save from Orjan Nyland after pouncing on a rebound inside the box. Emmanuel Agbadou also came close just before half-time, heading narrowly wide from a free-kick delivery.

The pressure eventually told in the 74th minute when Amad Diallo produced a brilliant solo effort, finishing confidently from inside the box to level the match at 1-1.

With the game heading towards extra time, Norway found their hero in Erling Haaland.

In the 86th minute, the striker latched onto a perfectly weighted pass inside the penalty area before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to restore Norway’s lead.

It was a clinical finish that sealed his fifth goal of the tournament and ultimately sent Norway through to the last 16.

Norway push through to the next round! ??#FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 30, 2026

The victory sends Norway into a blockbuster Round of 16 tie against Brazil, scheduled for Sunday, July 5 at 20:00 GMT.

With Haaland in ruthless form, the Norwegians will now prepare for one of their toughest tests yet in the 2026 World Cup.

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World Cup 2026: Haaland fires Norway to last 16 as they beat Ivory Coast 2-1

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