In-demand striker Yan Diomande has insisted that speculation about his club’s future has not distracted from his preparations for Ivory Coast’s meeting with Norway in Tuesday’s World Cup final in Dallas.
The 19-year-old has been heavily linked with a move from RB Leipzig to European champions Paris St Germain, but insisted his focus was solely on the match at the Dallas Stadium.
“I don’t have the internet, Instagram, TikTok and things like that, so in terms of conversations with my club it’s my agent who does that,” he said.
«It’s a great opportunity to play in the World Cup and I want to make the most of it. I’ll stay focused on that and I really want to enjoy this World Cup as much as possible.»
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Ivory Coast go into the match having finished second in Group E, behind Germany, and qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time.
Coach Emerse Fae confirmed that defender Wilfried Singo would not be fit enough to play after suffering a hamstring injury during the defeat to the Germans, but that Evan Ndicka is available after not playing in the group stage.
COLLECTIVE APPROACH
Fae admitted he was wary of Norway’s collective approach, but also praised Erling Haaland, his team’s top scorer at this World Cup with four goals in two games.
“They are a good team, an organized team, great individual players, but they play well together, very intense, impactful and they are very pragmatic,” he said. “They don’t need five or six tries to score, they are clinical in front of the goal.
“We have our strengths, we know how to play and we will be up to the challenge physically and we will try to control the game and impose our pace.
«Haaland, I don’t need to talk about him, everyone knows him. He is a top player, he has a lot of energy. When you see him play, he looks very proud to play for his country.»
«He is an example for his teammates and he does a lot for his team, for the group. He can actually strike at any opportunity, in any way you can think of.»
«He is a really special player and Norway is lucky to have him.»
Published on June 30, 2026
