Norway Edges Côte d'Ivoire 2-1: Haaland's Late Heroics

Erling Haaland broke Ivorian hearts with a late winner as Norway survived a furious second-half fightback to edge a gripping contest 2-1.

For Côte d'Ivoire, it was a night of almosts. Almost a famous comeback. Almost a stoppage-time equaliser. Almost the perfect cameo from Amad Diallo. Instead, they walk away from the global stage with pride intact but pockets empty.

Norway strike first

The Elephants began with caution, wary of the damage the slick axis of Martin Ødegaard and Haaland can inflict. They kept their shape, probed when they could. Yan Diomandé had an early sighter, Emmanuel Agbadou threatened from another opening, and on 28 minutes the game should have tilted their way.

Nicolas Pépé found himself with the chance every forward wants: close range, a clear look, the goal inviting. He dragged it off target. A miss that hung in the air.

Norway punished it. Six minutes before the interval, Antonio Nusa pounced on a lapse in concentration, drove at goal and unleashed a superb strike beyond Yahia Fofana. One moment of sharpness, one ruthless finish, and the Scandinavians carried a 1-0 lead into the break.

Diallo changes everything

The game needed a spark. It arrived just after the hour.

Elye Wahi and Amad Diallo stepped off the bench and immediately rewrote the rhythm of the contest. Côte d'Ivoire pushed higher. The tempo lifted. Norway, so composed earlier, found themselves retreating, line by line, towards Ørjan Nyland’s goal.

Pépé tested the keeper. Franck Kessié followed up with another effort. Nyland stood firm, but the pressure kept building.

It finally told in the 74th minute. Pépé slipped Diallo through and the substitute did the rest, gliding into space and finishing low with his left foot, calm and precise. A deserved equaliser, and suddenly it felt like only one team wanted more.

The Elephants swarmed. Every second ball, every duel, every loose pass seemed to fall their way. Norway, rattled, clung on.

Haaland’s cold finish

Then, just as the tide looked set, the most predictable script in football reappeared.

Haaland, largely quiet after the interval, needed only a glimpse. In the 86th minute, a brief lapse at the back from Côte d'Ivoire opened the door and the striker walked through it, restoring Norway’s lead with the kind of clinical touch that separates good sides from winning ones.

It was brutal. It was exactly why he is feared.

Agony at the death

Côte d'Ivoire refused to fold. They threw bodies forward, chasing one more moment.

Diallo, at the heart of everything, unleashed a powerful effort that Nyland somehow clawed away, an outstanding save at a decisive moment. Deep into stoppage time, the chance they had been chasing finally arrived.

Evann Guessand rose, met the cross, and guided his header towards the far post. For a heartbeat, it looked perfect. The ball drifted wide by inches. The whistle went.

Norway celebrated survival and Haaland’s killer touch. Côte d'Ivoire were left with only what-ifs and the knowledge that, for long stretches, they had outplayed a heavyweight.

They leave the tournament with scars, yes, but also with a clear message: this is a side with energy, depth, and a new creative spark in Amad Diallo. The question now is not whether they can compete on this stage again, but how quickly they can turn performances like this into results that last beyond the final kick.