Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo said his side gave Manchester City striker Erling Haaland "too much space" after the Norway forward scored the late winner in Tuesday's 2-1 World Cup round-of-32 clash in Dallas.
World Cup Golden Boot hopeful Haaland finished from close range in the 86th minute to send Norway through to a last 16 meeting with Brazil in New Jersey on July 5, while the Ivorians head home after falling short in their first ever World Cup knockout game.
Substitute Diallo had earlier cancelled out Antonio Nusa's fine opening goal with a delightful solo effort in the 74th minute, but later admitted that his team had not effectively dealt with in-form Haaland.
"The second goal was too easy from our point of view," Amad told reporters. "We gave Erling Haaland too much space, and when you leave a striker of that calibre unmarked, you pay for it in the end.
"Norway are a very good team with a lot of quality, and if you leave a player like Haaland alone in a game like this, in a moment like this, it's very difficult.
"That's our biggest regret. If you give him a little bit of space, he'll punish you, and that's exactly what happened today."
Haaland again proved his enduring menace in front of goal with a close-range finish after the Ivory Coast were prised open by Patrick Berg late on, taking his tally for the tournament up to five goals.
The Manchester City striker now sits behind only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, both on six goals, in the race for the Golden Boot, with Messi still to feature in this round when Argentina take on Cape Verde on Friday.
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"Erling doesn't need any introduction, everyone knows the kind of player he is, he's a world-class player," Amad said, of his Manchester Premier League rival. "He's a top quality footballer and a great player.
"He found the space, he scored, and they won.
"He's having a fantastic World Cup so far, and I wish him and Norway all the very best."
While the Ivory Coast go home, Norway advance to face Brazil in the round of 16, with the pair set to meet at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The fixture will mean another mini-Manchester Derby at the World Cup, with Haaland coming up against United striker Matheus Cunha.
Amad has left little doubt about where his remaining loyalties lie.
"I just want to wish Brazil the best of luck, especially my friend Matheus Cunha," the 23-year-old said. "I hope he scores and helps Brazil go even further in the tournament."
Norway are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, where they defeated Brazil 2-1 in Marseille in the group stage before losing 1-0 against Italy in the round of 16.
