Haaland’s 13th Straight Competitive Goal Sends Norway Past Ivory Coast in 92nd Minute

Erling Haaland did it again. The guy just doesn’t know how to have an off night for Norway.

With four minutes left in a tense World Cup group stage match in Dallas, Haaland poked home the simplest of finishes from six yards out. It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t need to be. It sent Norway into the round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast and extended a ridiculous streak: Haaland has now scored in 13 straight competitive international appearances.

That’s not a typo. Thirteen. In a row.

But let’s back up. Because for about 80 minutes, this game was trending in a very different direction.

A half of control, then chaos

Norway came out looking like the sharper side. Martin Odegaard was pulling strings from midfield and it was his vision that unlocked Ivory Coast’s defense in the 39th minute. He found Antonio Nusa in the box, the young winger cut inside onto his right foot, and curled an absolute beauty into the top corner. Nothing the keeper could do about it.

Norway carried that 1-0 lead into halftime and Haaland nearly doubled it early in the second half when a loose ball fell to him in the box. But Ibrahim Sangare threw his body in front of the shot — a block that kept Ivory Coast alive.

And that block mattered. Because Ivory Coast started finding their rhythm. Nicolas Pepe was causing problems on the wing and forced a sharp save from Orjan Nyland with a low drive. You could feel the equalizer coming.

Amad Diallo flips the script

It arrived in the 72nd minute and it was pure individual brilliance from Manchester United’s Amad Diallo. First he sprinted back to clear a Torbjorn Heggem shot off the line at one end. Then he took off the other way, weaving through three Norway defenders like they were traffic cones, before slotting into the bottom corner. Game tied.

For a moment, you wondered if Norway had let this one slip away. Ivory Coast had the momentum. The crowd in Dallas was split but getting louder.

Then Haaland happened.

Oscar Bobb fed Odegaard in the box. Odegaard didn’t hesitate — he squared it across the face of goal. Haaland was there, alone, to tap into an empty net for his 60th international goal. It was that simple. And that historic.

According to FIFA records, Haaland became the first player in 72 years to score in each of his first three World Cup starts. You have to go back to the 1954 tournament to find the last guy who did that.

Norway will now face either Argentina or Saudi Arabia in the round of 16. And with Haaland in this kind of form, nobody in that bracket wants to see them coming.