Texas, June 30 -- Erling Haaland has revealed that pure physical exhaustion, rather than just tactical brilliance, was the driving force behind his dramatic 86th-minute winning goal against Ivory Coast at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Manchester City superstar admitted that as the high-intensity Round of 32 clash neared the 90-minute mark, his only thought was finishing the game quickly to escape an additional 30 minutes of extra time.

"I was dead tired, so I thought 'I can't cope with extra time, so we have to score'," a grinning Haaland told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 via Reuters following the final whistle.

Antonio Nusa opened the scoring for Norway in the first half. Amad Diallo levelled the match with a sensational solo goal for the...