Haaland has scored four goals in two World Cup games. He was rested for the final league match against France.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
When Norway face Ivory Coast in the last 32 of the World Cup in Dallas, everyone's attention will be focused on one game. He is Erling Haaland. But Ivory Coast also has an equally talented player. Haaland has already scored four goals in two World Cup games. He was rested for the final league match against France.
It's not just him, other first-choice players did not play in that game. Haaland scored two goals in the first match against Iraq. It was also Norway's first match in the World Cup in 28 years. After defeating Senegal in the second match of the league stage, Norway's journey to the second round was already set. Ivory Coast's plan will also focus on how to stop this Haaland.
This will be a real test of the West African country's defense. The key player in that defense will be the talented 22-year-old Ousmane Diamonde. He is expected to leave Sporting Lisbon and join the English Premier League by the start of next season.
Coach Emrece Faye's strategy will not be to simply keep Haaland quiet. He wants Ivory Coast to attack themselves. However, there is no shortage of talented players in this team. Teenage forward Yann Diamande can make things difficult for Norway. Nicolas Pepe, who Arsenal signed for a record fee, will also be available. He also played to his reputation by scoring two goals against Curacao.
Coach Faye has nine players available to play in attack. His job will be to choose the right ones from among them. One of them is Inter Milan's Ange Yona-Boni. Faye says, "Scoring goals is our main weapon, we are a team capable of attacking from all sides. Our bench is equally strong."
Norway coach Staal Solbakken has spared his players a lot of work strategically. That is, by not playing key players against France. “It’s normal, most of our players needed a rest after the game against Senegal,” he says.
Both teams’ coaches will also be mindful of the weather in Dallas. The game will start in the afternoon, so it would not be wise for the players to go all out too soon.
