Norway will face Brazil on July 5 after striker Erling Haaland scored the winning goal Tuesday in the 86h minute against Ivory Coast.
And while the team will go on to stand against the winningest team in World Cup history, Norway’s fans aren’t worried.
“We never lose against them, so we’re going to win again and we’re going to get far in this World Cup,” Norway fan Amanda Fearnley said after Tuesday’s matchup with Ivory Coast.
It is true that Brazil has never beaten Norway in an international men’s soccer match, and Norwegians trust their team to keep that no-loss record.
Alexander Amelad walked out of Dallas Stadium with Norway’s colors painted on his face and in his beard, a matching shirt and scarf and a plastic Viking helmet with horns to complete the ensemble.
Standing in a crowd made up of fans mostly wearing Norwegian and Mexican jerseys, he said the team’s performance Tuesday gave him more confidence that his national team could stand against Brazil.
“The game was like the perfect game,” he told KERA as other fans around him performed the team's viral rowing chant. “It had the drama, the excitement, the free kick in the end, and we won it. It was perfect."
To celebrate, he said he was going out with friends in search of the perfect Texas barbecue.
Seeing Haaland’s tiebreaker goal was one of the best parts for Fearnley. She said it was exactly what she expected from him, but that didn’t make it any less thrilling.
Especially for her first trip to see the World Cup in person.
“It's amazing to see people from all over the world and so many Norwegians supporting the team,” she said.
Ivory Coast put up a fight in the match, with Amad Diallo scoring the equalizer in the 74th minute. And even though Haaland’s match winning goal came 12 minutes later, Gautier Bah said he was proud of what his home country accomplished.
“That step is really, really, really big for us,” Bah said. “They are so happy to be here and the first thing we were looking for is to show our country, Ivory Coast, to the world.”
It marked the first time the team from the African nation made it to the knockout rounds of the World Cup and the team’s first appearance in the tournament since 2014.
Representation for the team was light. More fans showed up in jerseys for Mexico, Argentina and Ecuador than in the orange colors of Ivory Coast.
The Trump administration has issued visa bans and restrictions against the nation, with BBC reporting earlier in June that the National Committee for the Support of the Elephants (the national team’s official fan association) canceling plans to send a delegation as a result.
Association president Julien Kouadio Adonis said the restrictions are “a form of segregation that doesn’t dare speak its name, but the proof is there,” according to BBC.
Bah, who is from Ivory Coast and has lived in Dallas since 2019, said he wished more fans were able to join him in the stands, cheering on their team.
He also wishes the Ivory Coast team was the one moving on to challenge Brazil. He knew that was a long shot going in but also knew the game would be fun and the team would make him proud regardless of the outcome.
“It was like a challenge to be here, to watch, to see my country play live,” Bah said. “The ticket was really expensive. I bought one for me, one for my brother, but money is nothing when you want to make yourself happy. So I'm so happy. I'm proud to be here.”
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