*As Côte d’Ivoire, Norway battle for Last 16 berth
In what could genuinely be one of the toughest Round of 32 clashes to call, an enterprising Ivory Coast team will take on a Norway side spearheaded by the best striker on the planet. Who reaches the last 16 out of two teams separated by only two places in the world rankings in the Texas heat? To the winners, the prize is a meeting with Brazil who earlier defeated Japan in a nail-biting 2-1 clash.
The Ivorians opened the scoring in all three of their group games, only the second African nation ever to achieve the feat at a World Cup. A narrow win over a defensively disciplined Ecuador side was followed by a painful stoppage-time defeat to Germany. They steadied the ship with a 2-0 win over Curacao, thanks to a brace from previously much-maligned former Arsenal star, Nicolas Pepé.
Norway has brought entertainment to the World Cup on several levels. Their legions of supporters have produced immense energy and passion with their intoxicating chants. On the pitch, Norway’s three matches have produced 15 goals with exactly five per game, the last of those was a 4-1 defeat where coach Ståle Solbakken rested several key names, including Erling Haaland, skipper Martin Odegaard and highly-regarded right-sided attacker Antonio Nusa. Julian Ryerson was not risked against France but should slot in at right-back.
The football world’s collective tongues are wagging over the considerable talents of Ivorian winger Yan Diomande. The 19-year-old RB Leipzig man is being courted by several of Europe’s most powerful clubs, with a big move likely in the summer. Feared for his pace, trickery and dribbling, the rumoured Liverpool target will come into direct confrontation with clubmate Antonio Nusa on Norway’s right flank, a player dubbed as ‘the Norwegian Neymar’ in some quarters. Their battle could be pivotal in determining the victor.
Man City goal-machine Erling Haaland will be hungry to add to his tally of four goals at the World Cup so far. Arsenal playmaker Martin Ødegaard will supply most of his service. Haaland will be closely watched by Atalanta’s Kouakou Kossounou and the supremely gifted 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon man, Ousmane Diomande.