MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Erling Haaland’s day ended sooner than most expected. After about 15 minutes, Norway took control. world cup It’s also over.
The Vikings’ biggest star didn’t shine Saturday.
haaland In the quarterfinals against England, they had little impact, but were eliminated in the final 15 minutes of overtime, leaving Norway’s hopes on the line, at least in part due to the burden of dealing with South Florida’s hot, humid climate.
Final score: England 2, Norway 1. Haaland was left off the scoresheet for the first time this World Cup. He had seven points in four games prior to Saturday, but had little chance to add to his tally Saturday.
“This has been an insane journey,” Haaland said.
Haaland later admitted that he ran out of energy as the match, played in temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), dragged on.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to leave him out,” Norway coach Starre Solbakken said. “He was finished. Maybe we should have taken him out 10 minutes ago. … He stopped short in the second half, so that combined with fatigue. He did the best he could.”
The Manchester City striker was undoubtedly one of the stars of the tournament, but England silenced him. Former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jude Bellingham stole the show by scoring both goals.
After the game, Haaland and Bellingham exchanged a hug and the Norwegian striker took a long, slow walk from the field to the locker room for the last time at the World Cup.
He was already a star in the sport going into the tournament, but his biggest physique and larger-than-life personality, combined with his long blonde hair and unique mannerisms, turned Haaland into a hero among soccer folk.
“Honestly, I think this changed my life,” Haaland said.
England’s plan, partly forged by his Manchester City team-mates and those he had played with and against at club level, was clear. The idea was not to let Haaland have the ball. It was largely a success.
Haaland had two shots in the game, one on goal, but was virtually silent after the first half. They had a 2-on-1 chance late in the first half, but the pass failed. If that had happened, it might have been his best scoring opportunity.
There wasn’t much to be excited about for him the rest of the way. He remained on the field for several minutes after the final whistle to pay tribute to Norway’s fans for their team’s best performance in World Cup history. As the 2030 tournament approaches, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Norway make another big splash. And that’s clearly the goal.
“I think we put Norway on the map,” he said.
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