Norway edges Ivory Coast in World Cup thriller

Norway edges Ivory Coast in World Cup thriller

Norway advanced to the round of 16 after knocking Ivory Coast out of the World Cup at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday.

Driving the news: Norway's star Erling Haaland scored a late goal to break a 1-1 tie in the first of four knockout matches in Arlington.

  • It was the first-ever World Cup knockout win for Norway, which faces Brazil next.

    • Vibe check: Norway's supporters saved their famous Viking row for key moments, participating in several call-and-response chants throughout the match.

  • Some fans paired Cowboy hats with their bright red Norway jerseys.

    • Zoom in: Fort Worth resident Aaron Rickels and his family showed up wearing Viking hats and fake beards that they DIY'd using yarn.

  • "We've been inspired by Haaland, and the Norway soccer team. We individualized all of our costumes and we just wanted to support them because they came so far to get here," said Rickels, who also experienced the 1994 World Cup at the Cotton Bowl.

    • The Rickels family got their tickets through one of FIFA's draws. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

    The other side: The Trump administration added Ivory Coast to its travel ban list in December, upending many fans' travel plans. The country's fan base was vastly outnumbered on Tuesday.

  • That inspired Bobby Kola to travel from his hometown of Nairobi, Kenya, to show support for another African country.
  • "I can see Norway already has a lot of supporters. It'll be great to give a voice to the Ivory Coast team," he said, wearing an orange shirt.

    • Bobby Kola (middle) says Dallas residents are as friendly as the people in Nairobi. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

    Yes, but: While the knockout stages of the World Cup can be tense, both sides demonstrated that patriotism and mutual respect can coexist.

  • Norwegian fans clapped and cheered when Ivory Coast's national anthem ended. Some of them also cheered when the Elephants scored an equalizing goal in the second half.

    • The bottom line: Rickels, a longtime soccer fan, said seeing foreigners fall in love with Texas has been touching as a Texan and as a parent.

  • "We've needed this so bad — a true representation of who we are here in Texas, and the hospitality, how diverse we are," he said. "It's an important lesson to the kids that what you see on TV isn't always reality."