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The Norway coach, Ståle Solbakken, had taken a major gamble in resting almost his entire side in the final group game against France, drawing stiff criticism, not least from those who had paid hundreds of dollars to witness a showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. As Solbakken said, the decision would stand or fall on the result of this game.
Norway are in the last 16, players and fans celebrating with a communal Viking row led by Martin Ødegaard, and therefore his policy can be considered justified.
It was, though, a mightily close-run thing. Having taken a first-half lead through Antonio Nusa, Norway had seemed to be in control, Côte d’Ivoire’s possession sterile. But then Amad Diallo produced one of the great substitute interventions, making a remarkable clearance to keep out a Torbjørn Heggem volley before scoring a stunning equaliser. But with four minutes remaining, Haaland bundled in the winner, his 60th goal in his 53rd appearance for his country.
“He’s the greatest goalscorer in the world,” said Solbakken. “He brings coldness to the team. He’s very underrated in terms of holding the ball up. To score five goals in the World Cup for a little country like Norway, I don’t think even he thought he could do anything like that. I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.”
Haaland may have mis-hit it, the ball bouncing off him rather than him propelling it, but none of the Norway fans packed behind that goal cared as they progressed to a last-16 tie at New York New Jersey Stadium against Brazil. That’s Brazil against the only international team they played against that they’ve never beaten, and Gabriel Magalhães against Haaland.
For both these sides this was rare territory; Côte d’Ivoire had never previously made it through the group at a World Cup, while Norway had played only two knockout games: in 1938 when there was no group stage, and in 1998. On both occasions, they lost to Italy. Making his changes was Solbakken’s attempt to break that duck. The Bodø/Glimt midfielder Patrick Berg was the only player to start both Norway’s last two matches – and it was he who teed up Haaland. “Every man from 100 years to two years old is rowing now,” said Solbakken.
