England vs Norway: All to know ahead of FIFA World Cup quarterfinal
Haaland vs Kane and other key factors before World Cup 2026 showdown between England and Norway in Miami. Miami, Florida, will be the sweltering backdrop
Haaland vs Kane and other key factors before World Cup 2026 showdown between England and Norway in Miami. Miami, Florida, will be the sweltering backdrop for a monumental clash between European powerhouses England and Norway on Saturday night. The Vikings have emerged as the dark horses of World Cup 2026, seeing off five-time winners Brazil in the last 16 to continue a fairytale return to the competition for the first time since 1998, and winning the first two knockout matches in their history. England stand in their way, seeking to make the semifinals for the fourth time and avoid an eighth elimination in the last eight. But how will the outcome be decided? Who will be golden boy in Golden Boot race? For the first time in this tournament, two of the leading contenders for the Golden Boot race go head-to-head on the same pitch. Stale Solbakken denied us that opportunity in the group stage when, despite scoring two goals in each of the opening wins over Iraq and Senegal, he left Erling Haaland on the bench against Kylian Mbappe and France, with qualification for the knockout stage already confirmed. Haaland made up for lost time and scored the winner in the first knockout game against Ivory Coast before grabbing both goals in the 2-1 win over Brazil to reach the quarterfinals. His seven in four appearances made it 14 straight Norway appearances in which he has scored, netting 27 overall in that run, while he now has 62 goals in 54 caps. The 25-year-old lies one behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and one ahead of Harry Kane. Kane, 32, scored twice in the opening group game against Croatia, another in the win over Panama which sealed top spot in the group, then netted both goals in the late comeback to beat DR Congo in the Round of 32 and added a penalty, which turned out to be the winner, in the epic 3-2 win over Mexico. While they share much in common, both having won the Premier League Golden Boot three times and both having enjoyed success in Germany, they have only shared the pitch twice before, in 2022/23. Fittingly, they shared a win and a goal apiece as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City locked horns in the Premier League. Everything suggests this could be another tight battle, but if one of these stars is able to come out on top in Miami, it could further their claim to be the greatest striker on Earth at present.
How do England stop Haaland? Now, bear with me here … is the answer to start Dan Burn? The 6’7” Newcastle centre-back was something of a surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup. He only made his England debut shortly before his 33rd birthday in March 2025 and has made just four starts, all coming against Andorra and Albania in World Cup qualifying. However, his cameo off the bench for the final 15 minutes against Mexico on Sunday night proved a masterstroke as he headed away numerous crosses and repeatedly put his body on the line as England sat low to defend their 3-2 lead with 10 men through the closing stages and 12 minutes of additional time. While he is nowhere near as mobile as Haaland, and nine years his senior, he is two inches taller than the Norwegian and has enjoyed fruitful physical battles with Haaland in their previous meetings in England. Haaland has played eight games against Burn since he joined Manchester City in 2022, six of those in the Premier League with two further meetings in the FA Cup and English League Cup. In more than 10 hours on the pitch together, Haaland has scored only once, in August 2022, their first encounter. For a striker who averages a goal every 73 minutes in international football, it’s a record worth paying attention to. It’s also worth noting Haaland has scored only once in 406 minutes on the pitch against Ezri Konsa, across five matches, and that goal too came in their first meeting with Aston Villa in September 2022. Given Haaland has scored 112 goals in 132 Premier League appearances across four seasons, winning the Golden Boot in three of those, those statistics are encouraging for Tuchel. By contrast, Haaland managed seven goals in five matches played against Marc Guehi, before the Crystal Palace defender made the switch to become his teammate at Man City and, of course, has never played against John Stones, with whom he has played at the Etihad since he joined the club. Odegaard vs Rice in midfield battle Norway skipper Martin Odegaard carried the ball forward 61 times and completed 101 of his 109 attempted passes against Brazil – whose entire squad combined for just 331 passes at a vastly inferior completion rate. Odegaard led by example as his side limited the Selecao to just 33.6 percent of possession, their lowest ever in a World Cup match, though that was still 0.4 percent more than England enjoyed in Mexico on Sunday, when they were camped in their own box for much of the final half-hour playing a man short.
The BriefWire