Erling Haaland sealed Norway's historic first-ever win in a World Cup knockout match by scoring the winner in the 86th minute of their 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast on June 30, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. This strikes puts Norway through to the last 16 stage of the tournament for the first time.
Haaland now has five goals in three World Cup games in North America, placing him second in the tournament scoring charts behind Lionel Messi, who has six [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The striker has scored in each of his last 13 competitive internationals, totaling 25 goals in that run [3, 4, 5]. His coach Stale Solbakken described him as "the greatest goalscorer in the world," highlighting his calmness, one-touch control, and ability to hold up the ball without losing possession during the match [1, 2, 4, 5].
Norway captain Martin Odegaard said having Haaland up front gives the team a real chance despite being underdogs against Brazil, their next opponent in the last 16 [3, 5]. Former England forward Wayne Rooney also praised Haaland, saying "Norway are a very good team, and purely because of that man. Because of his goals, he has proven that he belongs at this World Cup level" [5].
Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo admitted Norway left Haaland too much freedom, saying, "the second goal was too easy. We gave one man too much freedom. When you leave a striker of his calibre all alone, it eventually catches up with you" [3, 5]. Haaland had limited involvement overall but made the decisive impact with his late goal [1, 2, 4, 5].
Norway will face Brazil on July 5, 2026, in the World Cup last-16 round. Norway have never lost to Brazil in their previous four meetings [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
