Norway hadn’t scored a goal in a World Cup knockout match since 1938. To put that in perspective, television was still a novelty, World War II hadn’t started yet, and the idea of a 48-team World Cup would have sounded like science fiction.
That drought ended on June 30, 2026, when 21-year-old Antonio Nusa curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area past Ivory Coast’s goalkeeper in the 39th minute. One swing of the boot, 88 years of history rewritten.
The goal and the moment
Nusa’s strike wasn’t a scrappy deflection or a penalty. It was the kind of goal you’d want for a moment like this: a curling effort from the edge of the box that gave Norway a 1-0 lead in their Round of 32 clash against Ivory Coast.
The match, played as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, represented Norway’s first appearance in the knockout stage in decades. Getting there required work. Norway secured their spot with a 3-2 group-stage victory over Senegal, a result that looked shaky at times but ultimately proved decisive.
