We are really proud of what we achieved – Amad Diallo

Manchester United winger Amad Diallo has expressed pride in Ivory Coast’s historic FIFA 2026 World Cup campaign, describing his goal against Norway as a dream come true despite the Elephants’ Round of 32 exit.

Ivory Coast’s impressive run came to an end with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Norway at Dallas Stadium, where Erling Haaland’s late winner sealed the Scandinavians’ place in the Round of 16.

Although disappointed by the result, Les Éléphants leave North America with plenty to celebrate after reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in their fourth appearance at the global finals.

Read Also: World Cup: Haaland fires Norway past Ivory Coast

Historic achievement for the Elephants

Reflecting on the campaign, Diallo said the team had every reason to be proud of what they accomplished.

“We are really proud of what we achieved,” Diallo told FIFA.

“We are the youngest team in this competition, so we can feel really proud. We had played in three tournaments before and never got past the group stage, so we’ve achieved that.”

Dream goal on the biggest stage

Introduced in the second half against Norway, Diallo immediately made his impact felt.

The 23-year-old combined brilliantly with Nicolas Pépé before producing a superb finish to level the score in the 74th minute, giving Ivory Coast hope of completing a comeback.

It was Diallo’s second goal of the tournament, following his earlier strike against Ecuador during the group stage.

Despite the eventual defeat, the Manchester United forward said scoring at the World Cup fulfilled a lifelong ambition.

“It’s a big thing to score that goal because it’s a dream come true,” Diallo said.

“I always dreamed of playing on the biggest stage, so scoring this goal was something baffling. At the end, even if you lose, it’s a win also.”

With a youthful squad and a historic breakthrough at the FIFA 2026 World Cup, Ivory Coast will look to build on this achievement as they prepare for future international tournaments.