ENGLAND and Norway are through to the World Cup quarter-finals, and they will play each other on Saturday 11 July in Miami. England have needed genuine resilience to get this far, finishing their round of 16 tie against Mexico with 10 men on the pitch.
Norway, meanwhile, have leaned on one man for their knockout goals, with Erling Haaland scoring in each of their last two matches. Both sides took very different routes to the last eight, one built on control, the other on a striker in unstoppable form, which anyone wanting to bet on Norway vs England should be well aware of.
Group stage
England’s Group L campaign began with a helter-skelter 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas. Harry Kane scored both England goals in a first half that finished 2-2, a retaken penalty in the 12th minute and a header from Declan Rice’s corner in the 42nd, either side of efforts from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa for Croatia. England were much the better side after the break, with Jude Bellingham scoring two minutes into the second half and Marcus Rashford adding a fourth late on.
A goalless draw with Ghana followed in Boston, England unable to find a breakthrough in a tightly contested game. They returned to winning ways in their final group game, beating Panama 2-0 in New Jersey, with Bellingham scoring the first, before teeing up Kane for the second goal as England topped Group L.
Norway’s Group I campaign began in Boston, where Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut in a 4-1 win over Iraq. Substitute Leo Ostigard added a third from Martin Odegaard’s corner, before Hussein turned Haaland’s late header into his own net to make it 4-1 in stoppage time.
Norway then edged a five-goal thriller with Senegal 3-2 at a rain-affected New Jersey Stadium, Marcus Pedersen breaking the deadlock just before half-time before Haaland scored either side of an Ismaila Sarr strike. Sarr added a second deep into stoppage time to make it 3-2.
With qualification already secured, Norway made 10 changes and rested both Haaland and Odegaard for their final group game, and were beaten 4-1 by a France side inspired by an Ousmane Dembele hat-trick.
Round of 32
England needed a rescue act against DR Congo in Atlanta. Brian Cipenga gave the debutants a shock lead inside seven minutes, and England were still behind with 15 minutes to go before Kane headed in Anthony Gordon’s cross to level, then rifled a stunning winner in the 86th minute to complete the comeback.
Norway’s last-32 tie with the Ivory Coast went to the wire too. Antonio Nusa curled Norway into an unlikely lead against the run of play in the 39th minute, only for substitute Amad Diallo to equalise with a dazzling solo goal in the 74th, having earlier cleared a
goal-bound header off the line at the other end. Haaland settled it in the 86th minute, tapping in Patrick Berg’s cross, sending Norway through 2-1 and into a last-16 meeting with Brazil.
England survive the Azteca
England’s last-16 game took them to altitude. Mexico had won every match at the tournament without conceding a goal, and had lost only twice in 89 competitive fixtures at the Estadio Azteca, 2,240 metres above sea level in Mexico City.
Bellingham put England 2-0 up, scoring twice in quick succession in the 36th and 38th minute. Just four minutes later, Julian Quinones pulled one back for Mexico before the interval to make it 2-1 at the break. Early in the second half, Jarell Quansah was sent off for a reckless sliding challenge on Jesus Gallardo, leaving England to defend for almost 40 minutes with 10 men.
Kane converted a penalty in the 60th minute after Anthony Gordon was brought down by Mexico’s goalkeeper Raul Rangel, before Raul Jimenez pulled Mexico back to 3-2 from the spot in the 69th minute after Kane was penalised for a foul on Brian Gutierrez, a decision many fans questioned. Tuchel switched to a back five with 16 minutes to go, sending on Dan Burn and Djed Spence. Burn made two blocks and six clearances, making the most defensive contributions of the match, as England held on to win 3-2 and end Mexico’s unbeaten Azteca record at this World Cup.
Haaland does it again against Brazil
Norway’s last-16 game brought their toughest test yet, five-time champions Brazil at the New Jersey Stadium. Bruno Guimaraes had a first-half penalty saved by Orjan Nyland, and Vinicius Junior was denied by the same goalkeeper, a scoreline that would have rewarded anyone who placed a bet on a tense, low-scoring affair. The game stayed goalless until the 79th minute, when Haaland rose above his Premier League rival Gabriel to head in Andreas Schjelderup’s cross. He doubled his tally in the 90th minute with a low drive from outside the box. Neymar, brought on as a substitute, scored a stoppage-time penalty for Brazil, but it only reduced the final margin. Norway won 2-1.
The result sent Norway into their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, and took Haaland to seven goals at the tournament, level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot. It was also his 14th consecutive competitive international appearance with a goal for Norway.
Article by Craig Linton
