<\/p>\n
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA\u2014Everyone 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 should try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stopping Haaland\u2014who 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\u2014can 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 feel it\u2019s Norway vs. England,\u201d Norway coach St\u00e5le Solbakken said on 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\u2014not only one. England coach Thomas Tuchel raved about Kane on Friday, and rightly so. Kane has six goals to date on this 12 months\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in the form of his life and in the best peak of his profession,\u201d Tuchel said.<\/p>\n
When Haaland\u2014who stands nearly 6-foot-5\u2014gets 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 actually going to seek out its way into the back of the online.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s Nico O\u2019Reilly\u2014Haaland\u2019s teammate at Manchester City\u2014has seen it occur again and again. And if there may be an answer to the Haaland problem, O\u2019Reilly might 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\u2014who didn\u2019t play for Norway in its loss to France within the group stage\u2014has 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 actually sees the importance.<\/p>\n