Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) has been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup following a 2-1 loss to Norway in the Round of 16.
The Elephants’ journey in the tournament came to an end with a defeat to Norway, who secured the win with a late goal by Erling Haaland.
Norway’s progression was sealed by Haaland’s fifth goal of the competition, which came after Amad Diallo had equalized Antonio Nusa’s 39th-minute opener.
This result sets up an exciting match against Brazil in New York on Sunday.
During the early stages, Ivory Coast had the upper hand, with Nicolas Pepe posing a threat on the right flank, and Ghislain Konan coming close to scoring with a shot that went wide.
Yan Diomande provided a good pass to Pepe, but the Villarreal player failed to connect well with his shot, allowing the Norwegian defense to clear the danger.
While Haaland had been quiet until then, Norway began to dominate towards the end of the first half.
Despite missing a header, Haaland’s attempt sparked Norway into action, leading to them controlling possession and increasing their tempo.
Their efforts paid off when Martin Odegaard passed the ball to Nusa on the left, who then scored a beautiful goal past Yahia Fofana into the top corner.
Haaland was denied by a late block, and Sorloth’s header went wide from the ensuing corner.
As the first half concluded, Emmanuel Agbadou missed with a header, and Pepe’s shot was saved by Orjan Nyland early in the second half after Guela Doue’s initial attempt was blocked by Torbjorn Heggem.
