Erling Haaland had done what he does best – lurking in the box, touching home a low cross from Sander Berge with 83 minutes gone, and putting Norway within sight of a last-16 showdown with Brazil. But the Manchester City striker’s goal, his first real involvement in a match that had largely passed him by, was not enough to seal victory. Seven minutes later, Amad Diallo came off the bench and levelled the game with a curling left-footed strike that beat Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
The Manchester United forward, introduced in the 63rd minute to spark creativity, received the ball on the right wing, fed it inside to Pepe, and then took the return pass before rolling it onto his left foot and guiding it into the net. The equaliser silenced a Norwegian side that had controlled much of the second half, despite being outplayed. Haaland, starved of chances, had earlier sprinted back to pressure Fofana after heading away a cross, but his goal looked to have decided the contest.
“Amad Diallo equalised for Ivory Coast after Erling Haaland's late goal, leaving the last-16 tie against Brazil undecided.”
Norway, playing at their first World Cup finals since 1998, had escaped their group by thrashing Iraq and winning a thriller with Senegal. Their only loss in the group stage came against favourites France, 4-1, but with coach Stale Solbakken making 10 changes – including resting Haaland and Odegaard – there was little shame in that. Both were named starters here, alongside Odegaard, who whipped in a curling corner that was flicked on to Torbjorn Heggem, only for Amad to block the subsequent shot on the line.
Ivory Coast had seen off Ecuador and Curacao in the group, beaten only by Germany in the final moments. They now had the momentum, with 10 minutes left in Dallas and the teams level. A last-16 tie against Brazil awaits the winner, but neither side could afford to look past the other. Norway almost bit back from a free kick, but Odegaard’s delivery came to nothing. The referee waved away Ivory Coast appeals for a penalty when Pepe went down in the area, waving play on. With extra time looming, the question hung in the air: would this game produce a late winner or go the distance?