The biggest “Viking” star did not shine on Saturday.
For most of the quarterfinal against England, E. Haaland was almost unnoticeable on the field. Fifteen minutes before the end of extra time, when Norway’s hopes were still hanging by a thread, the forward was substituted. At least partly, this decision was influenced by his difficulty coping with the hot and humid Florida weather.
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The final score was 1:2. England advances to the semifinals, Norway goes home.
E. Haaland did not score for the first time in this World Cup. Before Saturday, he had scored seven times in four matches, but in the quarterfinal he hardly had any chances to add to his tally.
“It was a crazy journey,” E. Haaland said after the match.
The forward admitted that he was completely exhausted. The match took place in the heat, with the thermometer showing 38 degrees Celsius.
“The decision to substitute him was not difficult,” said Norway’s national team coach Stale Solbakken. “He was completely drained. Maybe I should have done it ten minutes earlier. Also, in the second half, he suffered a muscle injury, which was compounded by fatigue. He did everything he could.”
The Manchester City forward was undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of this tournament, but England managed to silence him. Meanwhile, his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jude Bellingham became the main hero of the evening, scoring both of England’s goals.
After the final whistle, E. Haaland and J. Bellingham embraced. Then the Norwegian forward slowly and long walked off the field towards the locker room for the last time in this World Cup.
Even before the tournament, he was one of the brightest stars in world football. But his exceptional physique, striking personality, long blond hair, and distinctive behavior turned E. Haaland into a true football folk hero.
“Honestly, I think this tournament changed my life,” said the Norwegian.
England’s plan was clear – not to let E. Haaland get the ball. His teammates from Manchester City, as well as players who have played with or against him in club football, contributed to preparing this plan. This plan almost completely succeeded.
During the match, E. Haaland made only two shots, one of which was on target. After the first half, he was practically taken out of the game.
At the very end of the first half, Norway launched a two-on-one attack, but Haaland did not receive the pass. If the ball had reached his feet, it could have been the best chance for the forward to score.
The rest of the match brought him no greater joy. After the final whistle, Haaland stayed on the field for a few more minutes, thanking Norwegian fans after the country’s best national team performance in World Cup history.
“I think we made the world talk about Norway,” said Haaland.
Norway’s team strategist S. Solbakken was disappointed that the referee Clement Turpin, who officiated the match, did not notice at the end of the first half that the ball had hit the cable holding the video camera.
After this episode, the English scored the equalizing goal.
“He says he did not see it himself and did not receive any notification that it actually happened,” said S. Solbakken. “FIFA claims there was no contact and that there was no signal from the sensor embedded in the ball, so he cannot do anything. But the ball dropped straight down… He definitely touched it.”
However, the coach admitted that this is not the reason Norway lost.
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“Let’s not make this the main theme of the match,” he said.
