A single moment of error can shatter every dream, while a moment of magic can write history. Erling Haaland did exactly that; his moment of magic scripted a new chapter in Norway’s history. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, played for the Norwegian team in 1998—a year when Norway also reached the Round of 16. Now, Haaland has made Norway’s return to the World Cup after 28 years truly memorable. In a thrilling match, Norway took the lead in the 39th minute through a brilliant goal by Antonio Nusa. Substitute Amad Diallo equalized for Ivory Coast with another extraordinary goal in the 74th minute. However, the African nation could not hold onto that parity for long. In the 86th minute, the “goal machine” Haaland scored the winner for Norway. This goal—his fifth of the tournament—propelled Norway into the Round of 16. On July 6, Norway will face five-time world champions Brazil in the knockout stage.
To say he is in peak form would be an understatement; Erling Haaland is in sensational rhythm—everything he touches seems to turn to gold. He had already propelled his team to the knockout stage by scoring four goals in the first two matches. Consequently, the coach rested him for the final group-stage match against France. However, Haaland—fresh from that rest—did not quite make his presence felt from the start of yesterday’s match in Dallas. Ivory Coast defenders marked him tightly. In the first half, Ivory Coast—making their first-ever appearance in the knockout stage—actually launched more attacks than Norway. Through short, quick passing, they put the Norwegian defense under considerable pressure. Yet, against the run of play, Norway took the lead in the 39th minute. The goal was scored by Antonio Nusa, a player who has idolized Neymar Jr. since childhood. In the 39th minute of the match at Dallas’s AT&T Stadium, Nusa cut into the box from the left and found the back of the Ivory Coast net with a curling shot, celebrating in Neymar’s signature style.
Shortly after, Haaland had a golden opportunity to double the lead, but an incredible goal-line block by Ibrahim Sangaré kept Ivory Coast in the game.
Desperate to equalize in the second half, the Ivory Coast coach made significant changes; in the 60th minute, he replaced Bony and Oulai with Amad Diallo and Elye Wahi. This tactical move completely altered the course of the match. Immediately after coming on, Diallo cleared a certain goal by Norway’s Heggheim off the line in the 66th minute. Then, in the 74th minute, after a brilliant one-two with Nicolas Pépé on the right flank, he entered the box and fired a diagonal shot to level the score for Ivory Coast.
Just as the match seemed headed for extra time with the score tied at 1-1, Haaland took center stage. Although Ivory Coast defenders had kept him under tight marking throughout the match, he made no mistake in the 86th minute. When Patrick Berg sent a low cross into the box following a pass from Oscar Bobb, a lurking Haaland tapped the ball into the net, putting Norway ahead 2-1. He has now scored in each of his last 13 matches for Norway, netting 25 goals during this period; this was his fifth goal of the current World Cup.
However, the final act of the drama was yet to unfold. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, a free-kick taken by Diallo from well outside the box looked destined for the corner of the net, but goalkeeper Nyland leapt like a hawk to push the ball away, allowing Norway to breathe a sigh of relief. Following this thrilling victory, they are set to face Brazil in New Jersey on Sunday at 2:00 AM Bangladesh time. Brazil has already secured a spot in the Round of 16 by defeating Japan.
