Erling Haaland scored his 60th international goal to lift Norway past Ivory in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match in Dallas on Tuesday.
Updated: July 1, 2026, 12:49 PM IST
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Norway’s Erling Haaland (right) vies for the ball against Ivory Coast in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match. (Photo: IANS)
Ivory Coast vs Norway FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Erling Haaland continued his goal-scoring run in the FIFA World Cup 2026 with his 5th goal of the tournament to ensure Norway’s first-ever knockout win in a major tournament – World Cup or Euros – as they beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their Round of 32 match at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday. Haaland scored his 60th international goal, becoming the fastest-ever footballer to record this feat in remarkable 53 matches while Kylian Mbappe has 60 goals in 103 matches.
After the match, the Norway team delighted their fans with the now popular ‘Viking Row’ which has become a trademark after all their wins in the FIFA World Cup 2026. “This is unbelievable. This is history,” Haaland said on the field after the game.
WATCH Norway team with the ‘Viking Row’ after the win over Ivory Coast…
The Norway squad gets the Viking row going with the traveling fans after beating Côte d’Ivoire and qualifying for the Round of 16. pic.twitter.com/ZaOapO0RAI
— Center~Fruit (@BHUYAN___007) June 30, 2026
Haaland tapped the ball in with the lightest of touches off his left foot in the 86th minute, which proved to be the match-winner as Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Tuesday, setting up another World Cup match against five-time champion Brazil. It will be the first match between the two side, 28 years after a victory that many consider the greatest ever for the Norwegians. They will take on Brazil at the MetLife Stadium in New York on Sunday.
“What we’re going to think about now is to enjoy the win today. We’re really happy and proud of ourselves. Hopefully we can keep dreaming and keep believing and keep performing like we did,” said Norway captain Martin Odeegaard.
Antonio Nusa scored the opening goal for the Norwegians in the first half with a curling kick. Norway is in their first World Cup appearance since that 1998, when the team got to the knockout round only after goals in the 83rd and 89th minutes for an incredible 2-1 comeback win over defending champions Brazil in the group finale.
Amad Diallo, who had prevented Norway from taking a two-goal lead earlier in the second half, leveled the contest for Ivory Coast with a left-footed kick in the 74th minute. “After their equalizer, it was easy to panic. But we got our players in the right position and managed to play our game again,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
Haaland’s 27 touches were the fewest by any Norway player who played the full match, but he was left unmarked after three defenders converged when Patrick Berg moved into the penalty area with the ball before making a quick pass. It was his Haaland’s fifth goal in three games at FIFA World Cup 2026 and he is only one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe in the ‘Golden Boot’ race.
