Norway defeats Ivory Coast 2:1 and advances to World Cup round of 16

The match was the first ever competitive fixture between the two football nations and developed into a tactically dominated duel for long stretches. Referee Jesus Valenzuela from Venezuela officiated the encounter without any yellow cards.

First scoring chances and Norway's lead

Norway started the match on the front foot and produced an early opportunity in the third minute through a Haaland header that Odilon Kossounou cleared off the line. In the 37th minute Haaland also failed with a header after a flicked-on header from Alexander Sörloth. Norway's first shot on goal came only after 37 minutes.

Ivory Coast, three-time Africa Cup winners, dictated play at times but struggled against the Norwegian defense. The first real scoring chance of the match belonged to the Ivorians in the 28th minute, when Nicolas Pépé volleyed a cross from Yan Diomandé but did not make clean contact. Ghislain Konan (21st) also narrowly missed the target.

Nusa's dream goal and missed chances

The breakthrough for Norway came through a solo effort by 21-year-old Antonio Nusa. Captain Martin Ödegaard found Antonio Nusa on the left edge of the penalty area. He went one-on-one, left his opponent for dead with a feint and curled the adidas Trionda precisely into the top corner. It was Norway's first World Cup knockout goal in over 88 years – the previous one dates from June 5, 1938.

Shortly afterwards, Haaland could have made it 2:0, but Ibrahim Sangaré blocked in the nick of time (41st). Alexander Sörloth also missed a close-range chance in the 42nd minute. At the other end, Emmanuel Agbadou headed just wide of the goal in first-half stoppage time.

After the break, Ivory Coast turned up the pressure. In the 55th minute, Norway goalkeeper Örjan Nyland made a strong save from a Nicolas Pépé shot. In the 66th minute, Torbjörn Heggem met an Ödegaard corner completely unmarked in the six-yard box, taking the ball directly but incredibly only finding goalkeeper Yahia Fofana on the line.

Heggem again had the chance to make it 2:0 from close range in the 67th minute, but Amad Diallo cleared the ball off the line for Ivory Coast. The Norwegians squandered several high-quality chances in this phase.

Diallo counters for Ivory Coast

Instead, the Ivorians struck cold-bloodedly: Amad Diallo, who had come on in the 60th minute for Inao Oulai, started a move into the box after a one-two with Nicolas Pépé, danced past the Norwegians and stayed ice-cool when finishing into the far corner (74th). It was the first time at this tournament that Ivory Coast had been forced to chase a deficit – in the group stage, all three matches had gone 1:0 in front.

Norway reacted to the equalizer with attacking changes. Oscar Bobb replaced Sörloth in the 71st minute, Andreas Schjelderup came on for Nusa. In the 83rd minute, Solbakken brought on Fredrik Aursnes for Holmgren Pedersen to add fresh stability to the defense.

Haaland decides the match

The decisive moment came in the 86th minute. Bobb played a through ball to Patrick Berg, who squared it from about five meters to Haaland. The Manchester City striker slid the ball over the line – it was his international goal number 60 in his 53rd appearance. He moved up to five goals in the tournament's scoring charts, one behind Lionel Messi, who has scored six.

In a turbulent finale, the Ivorians demanded a penalty when Andreas Schjelderup caught Nicolas Pépé's foot in the 78th minute. The video referee, however, did not intervene. Sportschau refereeing expert Lutz Wagner commented on the scene with the words: „Der Kontakt war nicht unerheblich, es hat schon für ganz andere Dinge Elfmeter gegeben. Da hat Norwegen Glück gehabt.

Ivory Coast threw everything forward in seven minutes of stoppage time. In the 96th minute, Diallo forced Nyland into a brilliant save with a free kick from over 25 meters, the keeper tipping the ball away from the corner. Goalkeeper Yahia Fofana also came up for a late corner, but the Ivorians found no further goal.

For Ivory Coast, who as group opponents of the German team also fell under the German refereeing expertise, the tournament ended with elimination in the first knockout round. It was the fourth World Cup appearance for the three-time African champions; the team missed the round of 16 for the first time.

Outlook: Duel with Brazil

Norway now faces record world champion Brazil on Sunday at 22:00 CEST in East Rutherford near New York. The Brazilians had previously beaten Japan 2:1 on Monday. By reaching the quarterfinals, Norway could set a historic mark: after 1938, 1994 and 1998, it would be only the country's fourth knockout phase at a World Cup finals.

Erling Haaland was visibly relieved after the match. The 25-year-old Manchester City center-forward had previously been rested in the third group game against France (1:4) and returned to the starting lineup against Ivory Coast. Compared to the France match, Norway made ten changes – only Patrick Berg was again in the starting formation.

This news was broadcast on June 30, 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.

Norway's squad has a total market value of 522.10 million euros, led by Haaland with a market value of 200 million euros. Nusa is valued at 32 million euros, Diallo at 45 million euros.