Norway's dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas has sparked a wave of emotional commentary from both camps. The Scandinavians are jubilant after their first World Cup knockout victory, while the African nation leaves the tournament with their heads held high.
The staff's reactions: Pride in Oslo and heartbreak for Abidjan
Norway's coach Stale Solbakken expressed immense relief and emphasized the courage of his team:
„We had great chances, the opponent too. Maybe we were just a little stronger than them. I'm most proud of our reaction after they equalized.“
Asked about the upcoming mega clash with Brazil in New York, he kept his cool:
„I don't want to think about it now. The boys earned the right to celebrate. But Brazil in New York…“, he left his sentence open the specialist.
On the other hand, the Ivory Coast coach Emers Fae regretted the lack of concentration in the decisive seconds. The “elephants“ headquarters reported that the tactical change in the second half and the release of Amad Diallo had yielded results, but the genius of Holland punished their only blunder at the end.
The word of the footballers: Holland sees a change in the nation, Diallo is proud
The great hero for the Scandinavians Erling Haaland, who already has 5 goals in the tournament and scored his historic 60th goal for the national team, was extremely emotional in front of the FIFA cameras:
„It's great to see that this means so much to all of Norway. I think this moment will change football in our country forever. It's something that connects us even more, it's just touching.“
The author of the equalizer for Côte d'Ivoire Amad Diallo shared that he was proud of the team's historic performance at this World Cup, despite the huge disappointment of the late elimination. Social networks also captured moments of sportsmanship after the final whistle - footage of Sander Berge comforting Ibrahim Sangare and Holland hugging Frank Kessie went around the world.
Media comments: “The full Holland experience“
World sports publications showered Manchester City's top scorer with praise.
The Athletic wrote in its analysis: “Welcome to the full Erling experience. He may seem anonymous throughout the game, but he shows up just when he needs to. Haaland has reached 60 international goals in 53 games - 69 games faster than Messi and 76 faster than Cristiano Ronaldo.“ The publication also highlighted the key role of substitute Oscar Bob in the winning goal. Al Jazeera наблегна на драмата: „Кот д'Ивоар вкара мача в лудо темпо в Тексас, но вратарят Йорян Ниланд спаси Норвегия в добавеното време от продължения след опасен свободен удар на Диало.“ Българските медии (Sportal и Gong) акцентираха върху факта, че Норвегия се завърна на голямата сцена по най-убедителния начин след 28 години отсъствие от световни финали и сега предстои класически сблъсък, който връща спомените за легендарната им победа над Селесао през 1998 г.
Източници: Анализи и интервюта на The Athletic, Sportal.bg и Al Jazeera Sport