Erling Haaland insists all the pressure is on England. “Yeah, definitely,” the Manchester City striker said when asked if Norway were underdogs. “I think everyone should stay humble, but they have a right to be confident about progressing.” Speaking before Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final in Miami, Haaland, born in Leeds and now the focal point of Norway’s attack, added: “All of you should put every single bit of pressure on the English lads.”
His seven goals in this tournament — a match-winner in each of his four appearances — underline why Norway are dreaming. Haaland scored twice to eliminate Brazil in the last 16, and has now netted in 14 consecutive international games, a run of 27 goals at a rate of one every 71 minutes. Across 51 Norway caps he has 62 goals, numbers so superhuman they even overshadow fellow heavyweights Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé.
“Erling Haaland calls Norway underdogs and piles pressure on England ahead of World Cup quarter-final with Harry Kane.”
Yet Kane, England’s captain and all-time second leading scorer with 85 goals, arrives with his own arsenal. Since moving to Bayern Munich in 2023, he has won two Bundesliga titles and the European Golden Shoe, and his tournament tally of six includes a brace against DR Congo and a nerveless penalty that saw off Mexico at the Azteca. “It’s a special game, definitely,” Haaland said of facing his club team-mates Marc Guehi and John Stones. “For me, it’s super special because I play in England and was born in England. Facing team-mates makes it a funny game, but it’s going to be nice.”
Kane, who will earn his 120th cap to go second outright behind Peter Shilton, must also confront the ghost of Qatar 2022, when he missed a late penalty in a defeat by France. Now the stage is set to erase that blot. Haaland, however, is unimpressed by England’s favourites tag. He rated Norway’s chances at 25 per cent before the tournament and now calls them “really low still”, adding: “There are some clear favourites out there, and England is one of them.” For a player whose country is unaccustomed to such heights, this quarter-final is more than just goals. “If you look at the scenes back home, this is not normal for Norway. It’s super special.”