Erling Haaland Was ‘Finished’ After 105 Minutes. Norway’s World Cup Dream Ended With Him on the Bench.

MIAMI — Erling Haaland played 105 minutes against England in a World Cup quarterfinal and when Norway needed him most, he was on the bench. Not injured. Not being saved for some later game. Just completely out of gas.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken didn’t sugarcoat it after the 2-1 loss Saturday night. Haaland had nothing left. The Manchester City striker had been running on fumes long before the second extra-time period started.

“It was not tough to take Erling Haaland off. I should have done it ten minutes earlier as he was finished,” Solbakken said. “He’s had a great World Cup, scoring seven goals but he used up all of his energy.”

So instead of their star goal-scorer hunting for an equalizer, Norway sent on Crystal Palace’s Jorgen Strand Larsen. He made little impact in the final 15 minutes. England held on after Jude Bellingham’s brace sent them through to the semifinals.

Haaland’s Quiet Night in the Miami Heat

The heat and humidity at Miami Stadium had been a talking point all tournament. For Haaland, it became the deciding factor. He had a couple of half-chances — two weak headers that Jordan Pickford dealt with easily — but never looked like the player who had terrorized defenses throughout the group stage and round of 16.

That seven-goal run put him in the Golden Boot conversation with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. But in the biggest moment, his tank was empty. Solbakken made the call at halftime of extra time, and Haaland watched the rest from the sideline.

The Push That Cost Norway

There was also a moment in the 55th minute that might have changed everything. Norway thought they’d taken the lead on a Torbjorn Heggem header. But VAR spotted Haaland pushing Elliot Anderson in the buildup. Referee Clement Turpin went to the monitor, saw the replay, and waved it off.

Instead of going up 2-0, Norway stayed level. England capitalized soon after. That sequence turned the game.

Norway captain Martin Odegaard was frustrated after the final whistle.

“We did what we could. Maybe we were in a low block in the first half but they didn’t do anything and we got ahead. Then we conceded two easy goals and didn’t get much help from the referee. The margins went against us and we had a bit of bad luck,” Odegaard said.

But he also stepped back and acknowledged the bigger picture. This was Norway’s first World Cup quarterfinal. Ever. Nobody expected them to get this far.

“It’s been fantastic. It’s been a fairytale. We can be proud of ourselves. The whole world is talking about us. A quarterfinal in the World Cup is a huge achievement. Now we have a taste of it.”