World Cup: Haaland Holds Centre Stage But Ivorians Look To Steal His Thunder

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Erling Haaland will be the centre of attention in Dallas on Tuesday, but the Ivory Coast will be hoping to highlight some attacking talent of their own when they take on Norway in their World Cup Round of 32 clash.

Norway's one-man wrecking ball has four goals in his two appearances at the tournament and is set to return after being rested in the last group game against France, as were most of the Norwegian first-choice players.

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Haaland scored twice against Iraq in Norway's return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence and was at his predatory best as they beat Senegal to secure their progress after only two group games.

Ivory Coast's planning will concentrate on how to stop Haaland in what is sure to be a thorough examination of the West African team's defence, which includes the highly rated Ousmane Diomande, the 22-year-old who is expected to depart Sporting Lisbon for the English Premier League before next season.

But coach Emerse Fae will also be looking to have his side on the front foot and take the game to Norway - and keep Haaland off the ball.

The Ivorians have an exciting array of forward talent, led by teenager Yan Diomande, who is another dominating the club pre-season transfer market speculation, and former Arsenal record signing Nicolas Pepe, who scored twice in their last match against Curacao and is reviving his reputation.

There are nine attacking players in the Ivorian squad that Fae can pick from, including Inter Milan's Ange-Yoan Bonny, who only switched his allegiance from France before the tournament.

"I think that spreading the goals around is a real strength of ours, which we can use to catch our opponents off guard and be a threat from all over the pitch, including players coming off the bench to make a telling contribution," said Fae.

Norway's coach Stale Solbakken said his decision to rest 10 first-team players against France was a "no-brainer" because fatigue had affected several of them.

"This is simple. We did a summary after (their second game against) Senegal, and the entire defence and some midfielders were very affected," he said.

Solbakken will be relieved the weather in Dallas should not be a factor, given the climate cooling in the stadium as the match has a midday kickoff.

Talented squad

Healthy competition for places is fuelling the Ivory Coast's World Cup progress as they await a high-profile clash against Norway in the last 32.

Coach Fae has a squad laden with attacking talent, and their 2-0 win over Curacao in their last Group E match on Thursday offered evidence of the players' quest to bed down a starting berth.

Those who came on, like 22-year-old Oumar Diakhite and 20-year-old Bazoumana Toure, kept up the intensity of the starters and helped the Ivorians see out a comfortable victory to finish runners-up in the group.

“It is a young group that is growing very nicely and working well,” Fae said. "They're all at their first-ever World Cup.

"It's a squad that really sticks together, even those who are competing for a similar position, they're always laughing together, spending a good time together.

“So we're very lucky to have this healthy competition that pushes every player to give their best.”

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