Almost three decades after their last World Cup, Norway just won its first knockout game in history. Momentous, but not pretty.
Ivory Coast had more shots, more corners, and controlled the ball for long stretches. But Antonio Nusa bent in a beauty right in the top corner, Erling Haaland did Erling Haaland things, and Ørjan Nyland slammed the door in stoppage time.
Style points? Not too many. A place in the Round of 16 against Brazil? Secured.
Here are my takeaways from Norway’s 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast:
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Don’t you dare treat Norway like a fluke. Their World Cup qualification statistics were bordering on legendary. They have Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, two of the tournament’s best players, and a team around them that keeps finding ways to win. First World Cup since 1998, and they breezed through the group with victories over Iraq and Senegal.
Yes, they lost 4-1 to France. Don’t read much into that one. Ståle Solbakken made wholesale changes and rested ten starters, including Haaland and Ødegaard, as qualification was already locked. The B-team took a beating. The A-team is humming.
Now they have their first knockout win ever and a date with Brazil. This isn’t a Cinderella story. It’s a genuinely good side that happens to have a generational striker up top. Underestimate them at your peril.
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Ivory Coast goes home, but they leave with their heads high. This was their first-ever World Cup knockout appearance, and they didn’t just make up the numbers. They pushed Norway to the brink. Amad Diallo came off the bench and conjured a moment of pure magic to level it, dancing through the box before finishing, and for a while, the Elephants had Norway hanging on for dear life.
This side was built on two contrasting heroes. Nineteen-year-old Yan Diomandé, the fearless winger who announced himself as a star of the future, has drawn plenty of attention from giant European football clubs. And Nicolas Pépé, the veteran who rolled back the years with goals and big-game nerve.
Emerse Faé’s team played without fear all tournament. A country that had never won a knockout tie now knows, beyond doubt, that it belongs at this level.
(Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
