By Macdella Eyong Bessong
Journalist kick442.com – Cameroon
Cote D’ivoire has been Knocked out of the World Cup in the Round of 32, following a brutal 2-1 loss to Norway in a tight knockout clash at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington.
The Joy of an equalizer was short lived after Amad Diallo pulled them level with a solo effort, cutting in and lashing past Nyland.
But One clear chance was all Haaland needed. He was rested against France and came on fresh to make the difference. The Manchester City star took advantage of a defense blunder to score late from close range after a pass from Patrick Berg, four minutes from the end of the game to send Norway into the Round of 16 and taking his World Cup goal tally to five in three matches.
Haaland’s goal has confirmed his place as an attacking force in Norway squad, having scored in all of Norway’s competitive games since October 2024(25 goals in 13 games)
Norway initially took the lead against Cote D’ivoire just before the break when RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa, stroke past Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana in the 39th minute.
The elephants were Organized in midfield and dangerous on counters, but finishing proved costly again. The defense equally did. Diomande and Pepe’s push upfront did not yield fruits until Diallo was fielded in. But the joy of his equalizer at the 74th minute was short lived.
Cote D’ivoire’s Historic run ends in a heartbreaking style after putting up a good fight to get to this stage. It was their first-ever knockout appearance after finishing 2nd in Group E.
They put up a strong showing in the group stage including a 2-0 win over Curaçao and a win against Ecuador to advance.
They become the third African representatives to be Eliminated from the competition. But this will be remembered as a landmark tournament for the Elephants.
Norway is into the Round of 16 for the first time since 1998. They will go against record champions Brazil on July 5 in East Rutherford.
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