ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Norway’s Sander Berge is very aware of what many consider the greatest win in his country’s soccer history, though it happened only months after the 28-year-old midfielder was born.
Memories of that World Cup upset of Brazil are now being stirred up for Norway because of the success of its current World Cup squad — and the possibility of playing the five-time champion again.
The rested Norwegians are preparing to play Ivory Coast on Tuesday at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. It will be their first knockout game in a World Cup since 1998, the year they advanced out of the group stage only after an incredible comeback in the closing minutes for a 2-1 victory against the then-reigning champion.
“I feel like I’ve lived through the moment because it’s been talked about so much,” Berge said Monday. “Obviously Brazil, like for every Norwegian growing up, we’ve watched all their superstars play in World Cups. They are good memories for us. … If the opportunity comes that we can play them in a knockout stage, that would be a dream coming true and a fantastic challenge, and a fantastic opportunity and experience.”
The Norway-Ivory Coast winner plays Brazil in the Round of 16. The Seleção advanced with a 2-1 win over Japan on Monday.
Norway coach Ståle Solbakken was taking part in a news conference to preview the game against Ivory Coast when a reporter told him that Brazil had just gone ahead late, then asked his thoughts about the possibility of another meeting in the World Cup.
“We don’t think about the next opponent,” Solbakken said. “That’s too early. We’ll try to win the game tomorrow.”
Still, the coach knows the significance of that 1998 game, when Norway equalized in the 83rd minute and won 2-1 after Tore André Flo converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute.
“The game was important for memories, and for the players and for the coach,” Solbakken said. “I obviously also remember it, but that’s why we’re here, to make that game a little bit in the background.”
Only nine of the 26 players on Norway’s current roster were born then. Defender Kristoffer Ajer was only two months old at the time, two months younger than Berge.
“The mentality we have right now in the squad is really strong,” Ajer said. “We’ve been through ups and downs which I think is a very good thing to bring into life, but also football. So we’re a strong group that will fight for everything tomorrow and hopefully that will be enough.”
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