Haaland and England trade mind-game comments ahead of Norway quarter-final in Miami

Erling Haaland and Norway are out of the World Cup (Photo: Getty) England, Argentina, France or Spain? Erling Haaland has revealed who he would like to see win the World Cup after the Norway were knocked out by the Three Lions. The Vikings’ historic run in North America came to end in Miami on Saturday night thanks to a Jude Bellingham masterclass, with England advancing to the semi-finals. Thomas Tuchel’s team will take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Wednesday for a place in the final, where they will face one of the pre-tournament favourites in France or Spain. It is the end of the road for Haaland who has been one of the standout players at the World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games for a nation few predicted would make it this far. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. It could have been very different for the Manchester City striker however, who was eligible to represent England having been born in Leeds, but chose to follow in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge Haaland. Following Saturday’s game, the 25-year-old was asked if he would now support the Three Lions for the rest of the tournament, especially with so many of his club teammates in the squad. ‘Of course, I want England to do well,’ Haaland responded with a wry smile, but they’re not the only nation he is backing. Haaland has five Man City teammates in the England squad, including Marc Guehi (Photo: Getty) ‘I think I got an England jersey before a Norway jersey when I was young. I grew up in England. It’s a special country and a nice t-shirt. ‘I’ve got my City teammates here, that’s true. But I have teammates from France and Spain too.’ Man City are the most represented club in the England squad through MarcGuehi, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, James Trafford and new £116million signing Elliot Anderson. Haaland reunited with Man City teammate Rayan Cherki when France played Norway earlier this World Cup (Photo: Getty) Additionally, City’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri captains Spain, while attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki is part of France’s squad. Haaland will be back in action for the Citizens, now managed by Enzo Maresca, in just over a month when they face Arsenal in the Community Shield. But for now, the Norweigian says he is looking forward to a holiday and reflecting on an incredible World Cup experience: ‘This has been my goal for a long time, and I think after this tournament, we’ve put Norway on the map, so to speak. ‘Now it’s about maintaining those standards. I’m incredibly proud,” he affirmed. ‘We proved that it’s possible to beat one of the biggest teams in the world, Brazil. We lost to England in the end, but we made them fight for it. Perhaps it could have gone differently. ‘We’ve got more World Cups and Euros ahead of us; I think it’s time for us to really establish ourselves. We’ve got a fantastic generation.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Erling Haaland failed to find the net as Norway were beaten by England in extra time (EPA) Erling Haaland was controversially substituted as England needed extra time to seal a 2-1 win over Norway in their World Cup quarter-final in Miami. Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead with what appeared to be a miss-hit cross in the 36th minute before Jude Bellingham pulled England level shortly before the half-time break, although Norway felt the goal should have been ruled out after the ball appeared to hit one of Spidercam’s cables in the build up to the goal. Norway felt aggrieved once again in the second half as Torbjorn Heggem put the ball in the net from a corner, however, the goal was ruled out after VAR caught Haaland pushing Elliot Anderson in the box. The match went to extra time and Bellingham pounced on a mistake from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to put England in front in the 93rd minute. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. But with his side chasing an equaliser, Norway head coach Stale Solbakkendecided to substitute Haaland during half time of extra time and replace the Manchester City striker with Jorgen Strand Larsen. Norway were unable to find the goal they needed and England held on to secure a 2-1 win to reach the World Cup semi-final where they will play either Argentina or Switzerland. Erling Haaland was substituted with Norway needing a goal in extra time (AP Photo) When asked about the decision to substitute Haaland, who has scored seven goals at the World Cup this summer, Solbakken said: ‘It was not a tough decision to take him out because he was finished, maybe I should have done it 10 minutes before. ‘But he obviously had a tremendous World Cup, we used his energy and power for game after game after game. ‘I think that he also got a dead leg in the second half so that combined with fatigue. But he did everything he could, he was a little bit unlucky in a couple of situations, but scoring seven goals in five games for us. He had a fantastic World Cup.’ Erling Haaland congratulated former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jude Bellingham after England’s 2-1 win over Norway (FIFA via Getty) Speaking after Norway’s World Cup exit, Haaland admitted he was ‘completely done’ after playing England in 32°C heat in Miami. ‘It’s been the best six weeks I’ve had in maybe my entire life,’ Haaland said. ‘It’s completely surreal. It’s hard to talk about it now, because I’m pretty down, but these 40-plus days have gone by so quickly. It’s a memory for life. ‘I hope people at home are happy with what we have done. We should be proud, but at the same time we should learn from matches like this. Quarter-finals in the World Cup are decided by small details, and we got that against us. England have experience from before, and they managed to tilt it in their favour. ‘It was really special to play today with such high humidity. It was tough. I’m completely done, to be honest.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Haaland will be aiming to fire Norway past England (Picture: Getty) England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup will partly rest on how well they are able to manage the threat posed by Erling Haaland in tonight’s quarter-final clash with Norway in Miami. The Manchester City striker is enjoying a sensational World Cup campaign for the Norwegians having scored seven goals in his four appearances in the tournament. The seven strikes include the brace Haaland scored against Brazil in the Round of 16 to dump the five-time champions out of the competition to set up this evening’s showdown with England. Haaland’s form in front of goal in North America has seen Norway become genuine contenders for the trophy, in what is the country’s first major tournament since Euro 2000. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. But while Haaland’s goalscoring exploits will be familiar to fans who watch the Premier League every week, what will be less familiar is the sight of ‘Braut’ on the back of his Norway shirt at the World Cup. The 25-year-old has found his goalscoring boots at the World Cup (Picture: Getty) This is because, in Norwegian culture, it is common for people to include both maternal and paternal names in their surname. While Haaland has just his paternal name on his Manchester City kit, originating from his father Alf-Inge, he has also elected to include his maternal name, stemming from his mother, Gry Marita Braut, whenever he plays for Norway. Haaland used Braut on the back of his shirt when playing for Austrian side Red Bell Salzburg between 2019 and 2020, but dropped the name when he moved to Borussia Dortmund. Sporting family It’s perhaps no surprise that Haaland made it as a professional footballer, given both his parents were successful athletes in their own rights. His father played for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City in the 1990s and 2000s and went on to win 34 caps for Norway as a versatile defender and midfielder. Alf-Inge Haaland played in English football (Picture: Getty) Gry Marita Braut is no stranger to competitive sport (Picture: Getty) It was during Alf-Inge’s spell at Leeds that Haaland junior was born, spending the first three years of his life in West Yorkshire before the family moved back to Norway. Haaland’s mother, meanwhile, is a former heptathlete who was crowned the Norwegian champion in the discipline. Having been born in England, Haaland would have been entitled to British citizenship, which would have made him eligible to play for the Three Lions – although the striker was set on representing his native country from the very beginning. ‘I lived here [England] for three-and-a-half-to-four years and I lived in Norway for such a long time, so then it was natural for me to choose Norway,’ Haaland said in an interview with Goal. ‘You never know how it would be if maybe my father played longer in England or whatever. Maybe I would be English, I don’t know. ‘But yeah, I’m Norwegian and I’m proud of it.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Tuchel will be wary of the threats Norway pose (Picture: Richard Pelham/Getty Images) Norway legend John Arne Riise has urged his nation to target England’s right-back when the two nations collide in the World Cup quarter-final tonight. England silenced the Azteca Stadium with a thrilling victory over Mexico on Monday to book their place in the last eight with Norway beating five-time world champions Brazil. A place in the semi-final awaits the winner with Erling Haaland leading Norway’s hopes having scored seven times in his four matches, just one goal behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Norway have shown their strength in other positions too with Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb in support on the wings. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has impressed along with Fulham’s Sander Berge who is having a fine tournament in midfield. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. Thomas Tuchel meanwhile has had a problem to solve at right-back with Reece James missing the last three games with a hamstring injury. Jarell Quansah slotted into that role but a two-match suspension for a red card against Mexico rules him out tonight. James has returned to training but after missing games against Panama, DR Congo and Mexico it remains to be seen whether he comes straight back into the starting XI tonight with Djed Spence also available. Former left-back Riise, who made over 200 appearances for Liverpool, hopes to see Nusa start on the left of Norway’s attack, urging him to ‘isolate’ whoever does start for England at right-back. Riise hoping for a Norway win (Picture: Thomas Tang/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) ‘It entirely depends on who England start at right-back,’ Riise told BestBettingSites. ‘If Antonio Nusa is playing on our left wing, my primary instruction would be: give the ball to Nusa early and let him isolate his fullback 1v1. ‘If Oscar Bobb is on the opposite side and Martin Odegaard is pulling the strings, we need to exploit the spaces left when England’s fullbacks push forward. There will be battles all over the pitch tonight (Picture: FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) ‘Their fullbacks love to advance, and the vacant space behind them is where we can hurt them. And obviously, look to use Haaland’s explosive runs to exploit that space in behind the centre-backs.’ Riise also anticipates a big performance from Patrick Berg in midfield up against Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson. ‘Obviously Nusa and Oscar Bobb, who is at Fulham now. Sander Berge, the midfield player from Fulham as well, has been exceptional,’ Riise continued. ‘But if I have to pick one, look at Patrick Berg from Bodø/Glimt. He’s the number six. He didn’t start the first couple of games but came on and has been unbelievable. I think a lot of clubs are looking at him, and he would be perfect for the Premier League. Keep an eye on him because he is an incredibly hard-working player. I love Patrick Berg. ‘Then we have Julian Ryerson at right-back, who plays for Dortmund. I think he’s one of the best fullbacks in the world when he’s 100% fit. It’s not going to be an easy game for England, that’s for sure.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

England will need to manage the threat posed by Erling Haaland (Picture: Getty) England play Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night with a place in the last four awaiting the winner. The Three Lions will start the game in sweltering Miami as favourites but will be wary of a Norway side that boasts a genuine global superstar in Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker has been in sensational form at the World Cup, scoring seven goals in his four appearances to date in North America. But had events over the course of Haaland’s life unfolded differently, the 25-year-old could have been representing England, and not Norway, in Florida this weekend. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. Having been born in Leeds, and having spent the first three years of his life in the UK, Haaland would have been entitled to British citizenship and thus would have been allowed to play for England. This all came about because Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, was a professional footballer himself and was playing for Leeds United when his son was born in July 2000. Haaland could have been playing for England at the World Cup (Picture: Getty) Haaland Senior joined Leeds in 1997 and made over 70 appearances for the Yorkshire club during his three year spell at Elland Road, before joining Manchester City shortly after Erling was born. The family stayed together in England for three years until they moved back to Bryne, in Norway, where Haaland was raised. But despite the prospect of playing for England, Haaland was set on playing for his native country from the very beginning. ‘I lived here [England] for three-and-a-half-to-four years and I lived in Norway for such a long time, so then it was natural for me to choose Norway,’ Haaland said. Erling was born in Leeds during his father’s time in Yorkshire (Picture: Getty) ‘You never know how it would be if maybe my father played longer in England or whatever. Maybe I would be English, I don’t know. ‘But yeah, I’m Norwegian and I’m proud of it.’ Having played in a competitive game for Norway, FIFA’s eligibility rules means that Haaland will now never be able to play for England. England’s loss has been Norway’s gain, with his 62 goals in 54 appearances making him the country’s record goalscorer. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Erling Haaland has scored seven goals in just four World Cup games (Photo: Getty) Nico O’Reilly has dismissed Erling Haaland’s claim that England are ‘clear favourites’ to beat Norway at the World Cup, as just ‘mind games’.The Three Lions take on the Vikings in Miami on Saturday night, with a place in the World Cup semi-finals on the line.While England were widely predicted to make it this far, Norway have surpassed expectations, impressively defeating Brazil 2-1 in their last match.Key to their success has been Haaland, who has scored seven goals in four appearances, one more than Harry Kane and just one behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. But ahead of the quarter-final clash, Haaland insisted Norway’s chances of lifting the trophy were ‘still really low’, before hyping up Thomas Tuchel’s side.‘There’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them, so I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads!’ the Manchester City striker told reporters.‘It’s a special game and super special for me because I play in England and I was born in England, and I’m playing against team-mates. It’s fun. Norway or England: Who will reach the World Cup semi-finals? (Photo: Getty) ‘To be able to be here and play on the biggest stage with my Norwegian friends against the best teams in the world is really special.‘If you watch the scenes back home, this is not normal for Norway. To be honest, to be in quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup, it’s quite surprising even for me.’When asked about Haaland’s comments, O’Reilly was not falling for hisclub teammate’s humbleness, replying: ‘Yeah, mind games.’ Nico O’Reilly has started four of England’s five World Cup games (Photo: Getty) England’s left-back continued: ‘But they’re a good team as well. They’ve showed that throughout the whole tournament.‘It’s not just certain players that we need to worry about. They’re good collectively, and it’s going to be a good game.‘Erling’s Erling. We all know what he’s like. He can score goals. He’s dangerous in the box, and he’s a real threat. But they need to get him the ball in first. A lot goes into it. Haaland and O’Reilly know each other well from Man City (Photo: Getty) ‘I think keeping Erling quiet gives us a real chance to win the game. We know the threat he can cause – unbelievable striker, world class and he showed that throughout the tournament, scoring every game he’s played in.’Keeping Haaland quiet was always going to be tricky but it has become even more difficult for England in the build-up to this clash, with Tuchel facing a selection nightmare in defence.Jarrel Quansah will serve the first of his two-match ban after getting sent off against Mexico and it remains to be seen whether Reece James has recovered enough from his hamstring injury to start.Declan Rice is isolating away from the rest of the squad as he deals with a sickness bug, while Marc Guehi looks likely to miss out after suffering a hamstring injury.That may prove to be a blessing in disguise however, as some believe that Tuchel should start towering centre-back Dan Burn instead, with the Newcastle United man boasting an impressive record against the physically imposing Haaland.For more stories like this, check our sport page.Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source