What made Norway and Ivory Coast a fascinating tactical match-up heading into the round of 32 was how differently they used the 4-3-3 formation.Stale Solbakken’s Norway, at their first World Cup since 1998, like to attack lop-sided. Erling Haaland is the focal point, and Alexander Sorloth, a similar target man profile at 6ft 4in, is used as a wide forward from the right. Their right-back provides the width and, on the opposite wing, things look a lot more traditional: Antonio Nusa is a dribbling winger and David Moller Wolfe provides overlaps.Norway scored eight times in the group stage but conceded in every match too. Their approach, trying to outscore teams, contrasted with Ivory Coast. Head coach Emerse Fae had led them to a first-ever World Cup knockout round by keeping matches tight. Late drama went their way in a 1-0 win over Ecuador, and then against them when Deniz Undav scored a 94th-minute winner for Germany. Their star power is out wide, not up top: Yan Diomande, the RB Leipzig man tipped for a big move this summer, former Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe, and Manchester United’s Amad Diallo.So while it’s a cliche that midfield battles decide who wins the game, what mattered here was which team were better out wide.Norway edged possession in the first half and wanted to work wide triangles around Ivory Coast’s 4-1-4-1 block. Sorloth played high, facilitating Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard to rotate wide and pull deeper to get on the ball.At times, Odegaard was the spare man when Ivory Coast locked on, making a three-v-two down the right.Here was a simple move two minutes in: right centre-back Kristoffer Ajer found Sorloth, he released Marcus Pedersen on the overlap, and the right-back picked out Haaland.Sorloth crossed to Haaland later in the first-half for another headed chance, albeit one which Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana held comfortably.Norway’s opening goal, scored by left-winger Nusa on 39 minutes, owed to smart combination play. They had initially built-up down the left, and full-back Wolfe underlapped Nusa. Faced with a two-v-three underload, they reworked the ball to the middle. Once the orange shirts slid centrally, Odegaard punched the ball back to the left.