Erling Haaland struck in the 86th minute to hand Norway a dramatic 2-1 victory over Côte d'Ivoire at Dallas Stadium, securing the Scandinavians a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16.

The winner was Haaland's fifth goal of the tournament, leaving him one behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Norway will now face five-time world champions Brazil on July 5.

Nusa opens the scoring against the run of play

Norway had struggled to impose themselves in the opening half-hour, spending much of that period chasing the game. The deadlock was broken against the run of play in the 39th minute when Antonio Nusa curled a superb effort into the far corner to give Norway the lead.

Haaland almost added a second moments later, only for a close-range shot to be blocked. Norway held their 1-0 advantage through halftime, having grown into the match and carried the greater share of possession after Nusa's opener.

Diallo equalises with a moment of brilliance

The second half was wide open from the restart, with both sides creating chances. Norway came closest to doubling their lead through Torbjørn Heggem, whose close-range effort appeared goal-bound before Amad Diallo cleared it off the line.

Norway made defensive substitutions at the hydration break in an attempt to protect their advantage — but the plan backfired almost immediately. Diallo, the Manchester United midfielder, equalised with a stunning individual effort, combining with Nicolas Pépé in a quick give-and-go before driving through the Norwegian defence and firing a left-footed shot that bounced off the turf and looped over goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.

Haaland settles it in the dying minutes

Norway regained the lead in the 86th minute through the seemingly inevitable Haaland goal. Patrick Berg received an exquisite through ball on the right flank and cut a cross into the box, where Haaland met it with what appeared to be an attempted first touch that escaped him — the ball trickling over the line regardless to restore Norway's lead.

Côte d'Ivoire pushed hard in the closing stages in search of the equaliser that would have forced extra time, with Nyland producing a brilliant late save to deny Diallo from a free kick. Norway held on to claim the win and set up a mouth-watering Round of 16 tie against Brazil.