2026 World Cup: Côte d’Ivoire dominant but eliminated by Norway

Domination is not enough

The adventure ends this Tuesday, June 30. Facing an organized and disciplined Norway, the Elephants monopolized possession, created numerous dangerous situations, and pushed forward with Kessié, Pépé, and Diomandé, but never managed to take the lead. A shot from Konan ended up in the side netting (21st), Pépé missed the target on a favorable rebound (28th). The domination was real, but the finishing was absent.

It was Norway, against the run of play, that opened the scoring. Antonio Nusa controlled the ball, cut inside his defender and curled a shot into the top corner after a pass from Odegaard (39th). The 1-0 score at halftime reflected the injustice of the scoreboard, not the reality of the match.

Amad equalizes, Haaland decides

After the break, Emerse Faé kept his block in place. Côte d’Ivoire pressed, Norway resisted. A Norwegian corner was cleared off the line by Amad Diallo (67th), who had come on in the second half. A few minutes later, the same Amad turned hero. After a one-two with Pépé, he beat two defenders and finished from close range to bring both teams level (74th, 1-1).

The Ivorian hope was short-lived. In the 86th minute, Patrick Berg found Haaland in the box. The Manchester City striker, quiet until then, needed only one touch to score his fifth goal of the tournament and send Norway into the quarter-finals (2-1). A final free kick from Amad Diallo, pushed away by Nyland deep into stoppage time (90+6), would not change the outcome.

Côte d’Ivoire draws the conclusion from a first knockout match at the World Cup that they could easily have won. The technical superiority was there, the collective control too at times, but the lack of finishing in front of goal proved fatal. Norway, for their part, will play their third round of 16 in history and take on Brazil in the next round.