Dark Horses clash: Haaland leads the Vikings on an Elephants hunt

The knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup is already well underway, and it has delivered plenty of exciting results, major upsets, and thrilling matches so far. We expect nothing less from tonight's clash between Norway and Ivory Coast, which kicks off at 8:00 PM.

Norway, led by Stale Solbakken, have been one of the standout teams of the tournament so far. Their biggest weapon has been the unstoppable Erling Haaland, who scored four goals in the opening two group-stage matches and currently sits at the top of the Golden Boot race, narrowly ahead of Kylian Mbappe. The Vikings finished second in Group I with six points.

They opened their campaign with a victory over Iraq before claiming a crucial and hard-fought win against a resilient Senegal side, where Haaland once again proved to be the match-winner. Norway then suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to the powerful French team in a battle for top spot, with France punishing every missed opportunity. Ousmane Dembele stole the show by scoring a hat-trick.

On the other side, Ivory Coast, coached by Emerse Fae, bring their trademark physical style of football along with plenty of attacking quality through their Europe-based stars. The Elephants also finished runners-up in their group, collecting six points in Group E.

They began the tournament with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador thanks to a late winner. That was followed by a narrow 2-1 defeat to tournament favorites Germany in a closely contested encounter before they wrapped up the group stage with a comfortable 2-0 win over Curacao, inspired by a brace from Nicolas Pepe, which officially secured their place in the Round of 32.

The winner of this match will advance to the Round of 16, a historic achievement for either generation at what is already the biggest World Cup in football history.

Ivory Coast qualified from the highly competitive Group E in second place, missing out on top spot only because of an inferior head-to-head record against Germany. Clean-sheet victories over Ecuador and Curacao were enough to send them into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.

A victory here would equal the total number of World Cup wins they managed across their previous three appearances combined. History suggests they face a difficult challenge, as only two African nations had ever won their first-ever World Cup knockout match before this tournament, and both required extra time to do so.

Even so, Ivory Coast have every reason to believe they can get the job done inside 90 minutes after winning six of their last seven international matches while drawing the other.

Norway effectively surrendered their chance of topping Group I in the final group match after making as many as ten changes to the starting lineup against France. Solbakken described the decision as "completely logical," given that qualification for the knockout stage had already been secured before kickoff.

Although his side were punished with a 4-1 defeat by France, convincing victories over Senegal and Iraq beforehand should leave Norway's returning first-choice players confident of rediscovering their best form.

They would be wise to focus on their recent performances rather than history, as Norway have lost both of their previous World Cup knockout matches. However, a record of 14 wins, three draws, and just two defeats in their last 19 internationals suggests they are more than capable of overcoming that unwanted statistic.

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Round of 32

Sunday

South Africa - Canada 1-0 (0-0)

/Eustaquio 90+2/

Monday

Brazil - Japan 2-1 (0-1)

/Casemiro 56, Martinelli 90+5 - Sano 29/

Germany - Paraguay 3-4 on penalties (1-1)

/Havertz 54 - Enciso 42/

Tuesday

Netherlands - Morocco 3-2 on penalties (1-1)

/Gakpo 72 - Diop 90+1/

20.00: (3.50) Ivory Coast (3.55) Norway (2.10)

00.00: (1.30) France (5.80) Sweden (9.00)

Wednesday

04.00: (2.25) Mexico (2.95) Ecuador (3.85)

19.00: (1.30) England (5.20) Dr Congo (11.0)

23.00: (2.15) Belgium (3.25) Senegal (3.75)

Thursday

03.00: (1.43) USA (4.60) B&H (8.50)

22.00: (1.32) Spain (5.25) Austria (10.0)

Friday

02.00: (1.95) Portugal (3.40) Croatia (4.10)

06.00: (1.95) Switzerland (3.45) Algeria (4.00)

21.00: (3.15) Australia (2.95) Egypt (2.55)

Saturday

01.00: (1.17) Argentina (7.50) Cape Verde (16.0)

04.30: (1.70) Colombia (3.60) Ghana (5.50)

***odds are subject to change***