A historic triumph
Erling Haaland summed it up in a few words: “This is incredible. This is history.”
Norway achieved its first victory in a World Cup knockout match by beating Ivory Coast 2-1 in the round of 32. The Manchester City striker sealed the victory with a goal in the 86th minute, after an assist from Patrick Berg, at the Dallas Stadium.
The Scandinavian team, returning to the top competition after 28 years, will face Brazil in the round of 16, which beat Japan 2-1. The duel will be next Sunday in New Jersey.
Goals and figures
Antonio Nusa opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a powerful right foot from the edge of the area. Amad Diallo equalized for the Africans in the 74th.
“Today is the most important day in our history. Everything that comes will be even bigger,” said Nusa. “Now we want to enjoy this victory.”
Haaland, 1.95 meters tall, scored his fifth goal in the tournament and was one of the top scorers: the French Kylian Mbappé and the Argentine Lionel Messi. He has scored in 13 consecutive games with his national team and has scored 25 goals in that period.
The Viking 9 had not had much prominence during the game, but it appeared when it was needed most. Berg waited for goalkeeper Seko Fofana to bail before playing in the middle, where the striker shot wide, but with enough force to send the ball into the back of the net.
Just as important as Haaland was goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, who in time stopped a free kick from Diallo that was shaping up to be a goal.
After the final whistle, Haaland and his teammates recreated the “Ro” (rowing) with the fans, a choreography that simulates a rowing race. The forward then spent a long time in a stand with his loved ones, relaxing and enjoying the moment.
