Erling Haaland delivered a decisive late strike in Arlington, Texas, as Norway defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 to book their place in the Round of 16 and end the African side’s comeback hopes in dramatic fashion.

The Manchester City forward struck in the 86th minute to settle a tightly contested knockout clash after Amad Diallo had briefly restored hope for Ivory Coast with an equaliser in the 74th minute.

Norway will now face Brazil on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals, marking their first progression to the knockout stage since 1998 and only their third ever appearance at this level, following earlier outings in 1938 and 1998.

Antonio Nusa had earlier given Norway the lead in the 39th minute with a superb curling effort from the edge of the box, set up by captain Martin Ødegaard.

Ivory Coast responded strongly in the second half and looked set to force extra time after Diallo finished off a well-worked move, sparking celebrations among their supporters.

However, Haaland once again proved decisive, bundling home a scrappy finish from close range after a pass from Patrick Berg, with the ball just crossing the line to secure victory.

Ivory Coast nearly snatched a late equaliser, but goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland produced a crucial stoppage-time save to deny Diallo’s curling free-kick.

Haaland’s goal takes his tournament tally to five, putting him just behind Lionel Messi’s six goals in the race for the Golden Boot, as he heads into the Brazil clash in strong form despite a relatively quiet overall performance.

Ivory Coast, one of the youngest teams in the competition, had several promising moments through Nicolas Pépé and Yan Diomande but were unable to convert their chances after Diallo’s equaliser.