Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland smiles during a news ahead of their quarterfinal World Cup soccer match against England Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Marta Lavandier)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida \u2014 Everyone knows that England\u2019s master plan coming into the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday will revolve around stopping Norway striker Erling Haaland.<\/p>\n
As they’d say in Norway, \u201cLykke til.\u201d Translated: Good luck.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland?\u201d England midfielder Morgan Rogers asked, probably only somewhat rhetorically. \u201cI\u2019m unsure they’ve, but we\u2019re going to try. You\u2019re going to must try.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ: Erling Haaland-led World Cup run stirring up pride for Norway fans<\/h4>\n
Stopping Haaland \u2014 who has seven goals on this 12 months\u2019s World Cup, one behind France\u2019s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi for essentially the most on the tournament \u2014 can be the first subplot of the Norway-England match at Hard Rock Stadium.<\/p>\n
Among the many others: Haaland versus England\u2019s Harry Kane in a striker showdown, a Norway team with no pressure versus an England team with enormous expectations, even British Airways versus Norwegian Air in a social media chirping battle. At stake for the teams is a berth in Wednesday\u2019s semifinals, with the winner to face either Argentina or Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it\u2019s Norway vs. England,\u201d Norway coach St\u00e5le Solbakken said Friday, after his team went through its final walk-through before perhaps the largest match within the nation\u2019s soccer history. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a secret that Kane is match-leader No. 1 for England and Haaland is match-leader No. 1 for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, there are two elite strikers on this game \u2014 not only one. England coach Thomas Tuchel raved about Kane on Friday, and rightly so. Kane has six goals thus far on this 12 months\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n
![\"World](\"https:\/\/sports.inquirer.net\/files\/2026\/07\/AP26187059827261-1200x800.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEngland\u2019s Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates with teammate Harry Kane (9) after scoring his team\u2019s first goal in the course of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Mexico and England in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Natacha Pisarenko)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in the form of his life and in the very best peak of his profession,\u201d Tuchel said.<\/p>\n
When Haaland \u2014 who stands nearly 6-foot-5 \u2014 gets the ball in his preferred spots, opponents realize that stopping him is nearly out of the query. He\u2019s too big, too strong, too expert, and the ball is nearly definitely going to seek out its way into the back of the web.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s Nico O\u2019Reilly \u2014 Haaland\u2019s teammate at Manchester City \u2014 has seen it occur repeatedly. And if there’s an answer to the Haaland problem, O\u2019Reilly may need the closest possible thing to a solution.<\/p>\n
His plan: Don\u2019t let the ball get to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows what he\u2019s like,\u201d O\u2019Reilly said. \u201cHe can rating goals, he\u2019s dangerous within the box, he\u2019s an actual threat. They should get him the ball there first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haaland \u2014 who didn\u2019t play for Norway in its loss to France within the group stage \u2014 has gotten his goals in bunches on this tournament. Against Iraq, his two goals got here 14 minutes apart. Against Senegal, his two goals were 10 minutes apart. Against Brazil, his two goals were 11 minutes apart.<\/p>\n
He was born in England; his father was playing for Leeds at the moment. And Haaland definitely sees the importance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a special game, definitely,\u201d Haaland said. \u201cI believe, for me, it\u2019s super special because I play in England and I\u2019m born in England and I\u2019ll be playing against (Manchester City) teammates and all the pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only Haaland in that friends-turned-foes spot. There are nine players for Norway who play for clubs in England, so there’ll obviously be familiarity between the perimeters on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery little thing is on the road,\u201d O\u2019Reilly said. \u201cEvery little thing is at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each teams riding high<\/h2>\n
The teams got to Saturday\u2019s match in dramatic fashions, with Norway holding off perennial power and five-time World Cup champion Brazil 2-1 and England going into Mexico City and stunning previously unbeaten \u2014 and unscored-upon \u2014 co-host Mexico 3-2.<\/p>\n
Each side have acknowledged that coming down from the high of such wins took a bit of overtime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed that we want to place the drama and the emotions of the Mexico game behind us,\u201d England forward Bukayo Saka said. \u201cNow we want to give attention to Norway, which goes to be one other tough challenge, a distinct challenge, and we\u2019re fully focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
They could be close to totally loaded, too.<\/p>\n
Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Reece James, all sidelined in recent days, trained Friday and Tuchel said he anticipates having a \u201cfull selection\u201d awaiting him when the lineup for Saturday gets decided. England can be without defender Jarell Quansah as he begins serving his two-match suspension that was handed down after he got red-carded against Mexico within the round of 16.<\/p>\n
Rice, Guehi and James all went through training Friday at Inter Miami\u2019s facility, with team co-owner David Beckham \u2014 a former England great \u2014 watching.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe there\u2019s some clear favorites on the market. England\u2019s one in every of them,\u201d Haaland said. \u201cSo, I believe all of it’s best to put each (little bit of) pressure on the English lads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haaland said that with a smile, and that\u2019s been the case all tournament long. He\u2019s having fun with this, on the sphere and off.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a walking, talking meme, someone who draws tons of attention for all the pieces he does and says. When English great Wayne Rooney said he\u2019d row ( a nod to Norway\u2019s rowing tradition ) down the River Mersey if Norway beat Brazil, those words got to Haaland \u2014 who, in response to reports in British media, has reminded Rooney that he\u2019s got some rowing to do.<\/p>\n
All eyes can be on Haaland. England could have to work out a option to solve him, or else its World Cup run will end in Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it\u2019s the largest challenge,\u201d Rogers said, \u201chowever it\u2019s a challenge that excites this group.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland smiles during a news ahead of their quarterfinal World Cup soccer match against England Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo\/Marta Lavandier) MIAMI GARDENS, Florida \u2014 Everyone knows that England\u2019s master plan coming into the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday will revolve around stopping Norway striker Erling Haaland. As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[5386,5556,1570,3619,5557,19837],"class_list":["post-364515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-england","tag-erling","tag-eyes","tag-faces","tag-haaland","tag-norway"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t