Ivory Coast coach highlights team's key strength ahead of Norway clash

Ivory Coast's lack of a single, standout goalscorer is one of its hidden strengths, according to head coach Emerse Faé, ahead of the clash with Norway and their goal machine, Erling Haaland. The striker netted four times in the Scandinavians' first two tournament matches and was rested against France, ensuring he will be fresh for the knockout stages.

Stopping Haaland will not be easy for Ivory Coast, but the Elephants boast defensive stars like Ousmane Diomande, who is expected to secure a Premier League move from Sporting CP soon. However, the team also possesses significant attacking talent with players like Yan Diomandé, Nicolas Pépé, and Ange-Yoan Bonny. "In our team, many different players score goals, and I believe that is our strength. We use this to catch our opponents off guard and be a threat in every area. Even the players who come on as substitutes contribute," Faé stated before the match.

On the other hand, his Norwegian counterpart, Ståle Solbakken, stated that the decision to rest his starters against France was the right one. "It's very simple. We had already qualified for the knockout stages after the match against Senegal, and we assessed that the entire defence and some of the midfielders were exhausted," he said.