Norway defeated Ivory Coast at Dallas Stadium, securing their ticket to the Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory, courtesy of an Erling Haaland goal.

The Scandinavian nation now faces a tough test against Brazil in the quarter-final battle.

It was a frustrating first half for Erling Haaland. In the 3rd minute, his header from the center of the box was blocked.

Three minutes before the interval, an Ivory Coast defender stretched out a foot to deny him a certain goal. In between those chances, the opposition goalkeeper made a fine save to stop one of his trademark headers.

Even though Norway's goal machine failed to score in the first half, Ivory Coast still fell behind in this Round of 32 clash.

In the 39th minute, Antonio Nusa received the ball on the left side of the box, showed some clever footwork to create space, and beat Yahia Fofana with a diagonal right-footed shot.

With that strike, he became Norway's youngest-ever goalscorer in World Cup history, putting his side 1-0 ahead at the break.

This tournament marks Norway's return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Ivory Coast put pressure on the Norwegian box as well, but their finishing lacked precision. In the 21st minute, Ghislain Konan's right-footed strike hit the side netting at the near post.

Seven minutes later, Nicolas Pépé's right-footed effort flashed wide to the left.

In the 35th minute, Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland denied Emmanuel Agbadou's long-range effort from outside the box. In the final moments of the half, Agbadou saw a header narrowly miss the target, shaving past the post.