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Erling Haaland once again made history as Norway clinched a thrilling 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in Dallas, sealing their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. The Manchester City striker netted a late winner to extend his record-breaking run on North American soil.

Antonio Nusa opened the scoring with his ninth goal for the national side, giving Norway a deserved lead at half-time. However, Manchester United’s Amad Diallo brought Ivory Coast level with a moment of brilliance before Haaland struck in his 13th consecutive competitive international match to send Norway through. With that decisive goal, Haaland became the first player in 72 years to score in each of his first three World Cup starts.

Ivory Coast appeared poised to take the lead earlier in the match and should have done so when Yan Diomande’s cross reached Nicolas Pepe in the box. Instead of taking the shot himself, Pepe opted to volley the ball across goal, missing a golden opportunity to put his team ahead.

Norway broke the deadlock six minutes before the interval in style. Martin Odegaard picked out Nusa inside the area, and the youngster cut inside before curling an exquisite effort into the top corner to make it 1-0.

Captain fantastic: Martin Odegaard

Haaland came close to doubling Norway’s advantage shortly after, but his shot from inside the area was superbly blocked by Ibrahim Sangare, denying the striker a certain goal.

Ivory Coast continued to press for an equaliser, with Pepe posing a constant threat. The winger nearly levelled the score with a low-driven strike, only for Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to make a crucial save.

Amad Diallo then produced two decisive interventions within minutes. First, he made a vital clearance off the line to keep his side in the game. Moments later, he dribbled past several Norwegian defenders before finishing coolly into the bottom corner to bring Ivory Coast back on level terms.

Yet Norway refused to settle for a draw. With just four minutes remaining, Oscar Bobb’s precise pass found Odegaard, who squared the ball for Haaland to slot home his 60th international goal with ease, sending the Norwegian fans into raptures and booking their spot in the tournament’s knockout stage.