There is something wonderfully unscripted about the World Cup knockout rounds, and this last 32 tie between Ivory Coast and Norway carries the kind of...
There is something wonderfully unscripted about the World Cup knockout rounds, and this last 32 tie between Ivory Coast and Norway carries the kind of subplot that makes you wish you were in the stands. Ivory Coast arrived in the tournament with a quietly impressive squad, one that raised eyebrows among those who actually looked beyond the big names. They have backed it up too, beating Ecuador and pushing Germany close. That 1. 0 defeat to Germany now looks a little less flattering given the Germans' subsequent implosion, but the Elephants have shown they can compete in the physical, pressing game that modern football demands.Norway, by contrast, are favourites on paper but arrive under a cloud of their own making. The decision to rest key players against France in the final group game was a calculated gamble that backfired in terms of optics. Throwing that match has put enormous pressure on today's fixture. Lose here, and that call will be ripped apart by every pundit and fan from Oslo to Bergen. The great Phillipe Auclair noted on GoalZaza's World Cup Daily that Norwegian supporters were deeply unhappy with the approach. That kind of discontent can poison a tournament camp faster than a bad hamstring.Can anyone stop Erling Haaland when he is in his groove That is the question that haunts every defender in this competition. The big man is a force of nature, a clinical finisher with the power to bully any centre back and the movement to ghost past them. But football is not played on paper. Ivory Coast are organised, physical, and will look to sit in a low block before bursting into transitional play. If they can deny Haaland service and frustrate Norway's midfield, this becomes a very different game.My instinct says Norway will edge it, perhaps 3. 1, with Haaland bagging a brace. But I would not be surprised if the Elephants make this squeaky bum time for the Scandinavians. The pressure is all on Norway, and pressure does strange things to a team. Ivory Coast will feel they have nothing to lose. That is a dangerous mindset in a one off knockout fixture.
