Edi Umoh
France and Norway showed class in downing their opponents- Sweden and Ivory Coast- to reach 2026 World Cup Round of 16.
The 27-year-old Mbappé ran immediately to coach Didier Deschamps after scoring. This was Deschamps’ first game back on the sideline after missing the group stage finale against Norway to fly back to Europe for his mother’s funeral.
After Bradley Barcola scored France’s second goal early in the second half, Mbappé added a classy third in the 74th minute, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Michael Olise and finishing expertly into the far side of the net.
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Mbappé’s sixth goal of this year’s tournament tied him with Argentina forward Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. With 18 goals in 18 World Cup games, he moved one behind Messi on the all-time scoring list. Messi has played in 29 World Cup games in his career.
Deschamps bowed when his star came to the bench after he was substituted in the 85th minute.
Olise also provided an assist on Barcola’s goal to move onto five assists for the tournament, the most by a single player at a men’s World Cup since Thomas Hässler for Germany in 1994.
Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1
Earlier, Norway had earlier booked their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after defeating Ivory Coast 2-1, with Erling Haaland scoring a late winner to seal victory and set up a last-16 clash with Brazil.
From the opening whistle, Ivory Coast monopolized the ball through patient passing sequences, yet they struggled to break through Norway’s compact defensive block. Norway purposefully surrendered possession, preferring to dictate the game through spatial control and rapid counter-attacks.
Both teams shared a total of 4 shots on target each, showing that they both had the same amount of chances and controlled parts of the game equally.
Antonio Nusa scored the opening goal for Norway in the 39th minute, just before halftime. Martin Ødegaard delivered a perfect through-ball to Antonio Nusa on the left wing. Nusa cut inside, used defender Guéla Doué as a screen, and curled a powerful right-footed shot into the far top-right corner, finishing beautifully beyond the goalkeeper to break the deadlock.
Following Antonio Nusa’s opener, both managers made key substitutions in the second half. Ivory Coast brought on Amad Diallo and Elye Wahi, while Norway replaced Nusa and Alexander Sørloth with Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup.
The tactical shift paid off for the Ivorians when they got an equalizer in the 74th minute through Amad Diallo, who came on as a substitute in the 60th minute. He picked up the ball on the right side of the pitch and initiated a brilliant one-two passing sequence with Nicolas Pépé to slice through the defense, where he took on two defenders, and fired a precise, low strike past goalkeeper, Ørjan Nyland into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
Norway responded through Haaland who scored a late match-winning goal in the 85th minute to restore Norway’s lead. Following a poor defensive organization from the Ivorian backline, midfielder Patrick Berg capitalized on the space to deliver the decisive assist. Haaland stepped up when it mattered most, latching onto the pass to fire a clinical strike past goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.
The late goal proved to be the winner, punching Norway’s ticket to the Round of 16 where they will face Brazil, and ending Ivory Coast’s World Cup journey.
