John Stones has fired a first warning to Erling Haaland, his former Manchester City teammate, as England prepare to face Norway in the World Cup quarter-final in Miami on Saturday. The long-serving centre-back came off the bench to help a 10-man England preserve their lead in an epic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Azteca stadium on Sunday, a win that has fuelled the belief that Thomas Tuchel’s side can go all the way.
Stones, now a free agent after leaving City, spoke of his respect for Haaland and Norway after the Mexico match, though he claimed only to have just been told which team England would face next. “Everyone’s pumped up,” he said, reflecting on the mentality driving the squad. His comments come as England prepare to face a Norway side that beat Brazil to reach the quarter-finals, with Haaland—the prolific striker who spent four seasons alongside Stones at City—posing the biggest threat.
“Stones warns former teammate Haaland ahead of Norway quarter-final after helping 10-man England beat Mexico.”
The victory over Mexico was not straightforward. England had played with 10 men since the 54th minute when Jarell Quansah was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jesús Gallardo. Raúl Jiménez scored a penalty in the 69th minute to make it 3-2, setting up a tense finale. Tuchel responded by introducing Stones for Bukayo Saka, then later Dan Burn and Djed Spence for Elliot Anderson and Nico O’Reilly, switching to a 5-3-1 formation. England held on against a Mexico side that had lost only two of 89 competitive matches at the Azteca, a record that underlined the scale of the achievement.
The altitude—2,240 metres above sea level—and the baying crowd added to the challenge, but England’s defensive resolve proved decisive. For much of the tournament, Tuchel’s side have been vulnerable at the back, with spaces offered too easily and Jordan Pickford not always convincing. Against Mexico, however, they found an answer that has driven the feelgood factor. Stones will now hope to bring that same resilience to the task of stopping Haaland, a task he knows as well as anyone after years of training alongside him.