Even for this pack of Vikings, these are uncharted waters.
For the first time, Norway have a knockout victory in the as the Scandinavian side slipped past Côte d'Ivoire in a thrilling Round of 32 tie at Dallas Stadium. As he did throughout UEFA qualifying and has done so at these global finals in North America, led the way for the Norwegians, sealing a in the 86th minute.
Speaking post-match with FIFA, Haaland was all smiles while trying to absorb the impact of Tuesday’s triumph.
“It’s history, it feels unbelievable,” said the striker. “We managed to qualify for the first time in 28 years, we managed to go through the group stage and now we’ve managed to go through to the next round and meet Brazil in New York.
“It’s incredible, so now everything is a bonus. Now we can play with our shoulders down and just enjoy it because I don’t think we’ll ever have this feeling again.”
The Ivorians did well to keep the Norway dangerman under wraps for much of the contest, but as defences all over Europe - and now the world - have learned, it just takes one touch from the 25-year-old to make the difference.
“That's the thing about him,” explained midfielder Patrick Berg to FIFA. “He can sit and wait the whole game, and when the moment is there, he's always at the right place at the right time. He's a top, top striker, and we're really happy to have him in our team.”
It was tough sledding for Norway, as they had to contend with a valiant Côte d'Ivoire that fought back from Antonio Nusa's beautifully struck opener to pull level in the 74th minute through Amad Diallo. Emerging victorious from such a stern test made the winning sensation that much sweeter.
“I was feeling everything at the same time,” said Berg about Haaland’s winning goal. “All the emotions. I’m really pleased to see him score yet another goal for us. And I think it was deserved in the end that we go through.
“Côte d'Ivoire is a great team,” he added. “They made it really difficult for us throughout the whole game. They have some top, top players, so I think they deserve a lot of credit today. But we've been working hard for many years now. It's been an amazing journey so far, and now we keep going.”
For Norway coach Stale Solbakken, his team’s ability to close things out made the difference on a day in which the margins were razor-thin.
“I think it was a very even game,” the Norway coach told FIFA. “These are two good teams and it could have gone both ways, but we finished off the game strongly today and managed to come back after the 1-1. They had a good free kick towards the end, and situations in which they could have scored, but all in all, I think maybe we were a little bit better than them, but praise for Côte d'Ivoire, who played a very good game.
"It's the first time for Norway that we've won in the knockout rounds, so we have to take that on board. Now we can rest a little bit and prepare for Brazil.”
Sources: FIFA Official
