England just pulled off one of its grittiest wins in decades. Now comes Erling Haaland. The Three Lions face Norway on Saturday in Miami for a spot in the World Cup semifinals, and the matchup carries real weight. These teams haven’t played each other in a competitive match since 1993. A lot has changed.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad is coming off a wild 3-2 win over Mexico in the round of 16. They played most of the second half down a man after Jarell Quansah got a red card for a high challenge. They survived a weather delay that pushed kickoff to 2 a.m. back in England. Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds early on. Harry Kane buried a penalty after Anthony Gordon was fouled. Then Kane gave away a penalty himself. It was messy and dramatic and probably the best England performance in a major tournament on foreign soil in a long time.
Norway is no joke. This is only their fourth World Cup appearance and first since 1998. They finished second in Group I behind France, then beat Ivory Coast in the round of 32. But the headline is Haaland. The Manchester City striker torched Brazil in the round of 16 with two late goals in a 2-1 win. He’s from Leeds. He chose Norway. And he’s playing like a man on a mission.
This game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the Dolphins. Capacity is just over 64,000. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. local time, which is 10 p.m. BST. That’s a late night for England fans but way better than the 2 a.m. start against Mexico.
The history between these two
England and Norway have only met twice this century. Both were friendlies. Wayne Rooney scored from the spot in a 1-0 win at Wembley in 2014. Before that, Ashley Young’s early goal gave England a 1-0 win in Oslo in 2012 as prep for Euro 2012. Before that, you have to go back to 1995. The last competitive meeting was in qualifying for the 1994 World Cup. Norway beat England 2-0 in Oslo, and England didn’t make the tournament. That still stings for older fans.
What’s at stake
England has the deeper squad on paper. Norway has the best player on the field. Those two things can coexist until kickoff. Tuchel’s team showed against Mexico they can defend for long stretches. They’ll need that discipline because Haaland doesn’t need many chances. Norway’s momentum is real. They’re not just happy to be here. They believe they can win this thing.
One thing to watch: England’s discipline. Quansah’s red card against Mexico could have been a disaster. Dan Burn came off the bench and played huge minutes. Jordan Pickford made saves when it mattered. That kind of defensive resolve might be the difference against a Norway team that can score in bursts.
Saturday’s winner goes to the semifinals. The loser goes home. Simple as that.
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