When the final whistle sounded at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, confirming a 2-1 victory for England, the scene on the pitch was one of heartbreak for Norway. While many of his teammates remained on their knees to process the defeat, Norway star Erling Haaland was already on the bench. The 25-year-old had been substituted at the start of the second half of extra time, leaving him to watch the final moments of the match from the sidelines as his team struggled to rally without his presence.
This match marked a rare dry spell for the striker, as it was the first time Haaland had failed to find the back of the net in an international match since October 13, 2024, against Austria—a streak that lasted 636 days. Before this encounter, Haaland had been in stellar form, netting seven goals in six World Cup matches and firmly establishing himself in the Golden Boot race alongside global stars like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. However, as the match against England wore on, his energy levels visibly waned. His movement, which had been explosive earlier in the tournament, slowed to a jog and eventually a walk as opportunities to score slipped away.
Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken addressed the decision to remove his star player after the game. "It was not a tough decision to take him out because he was finished, and maybe I should have taken him out 10 minutes before, but he obviously (had) the tremendous World Cup," Solbakken said. The coach explained that Haaland had exhausted his energy reserves through game after game, and the situation was further complicated by a dead leg the player sustained in the second half. "So that, combined with the fatigue… he did everything he could," the coach added.
The match itself was a tight, high-stakes affair. Norway took an early lead with a goal in the 36th minute, but England’s Jude Bellingham leveled the score at 1-1 in the 47th minute. The equalizer was met with controversy, as Norway players alleged the ball had struck a wire. Bellingham later secured the win for England with a 93rd-minute goal that ended Norway’s tournament dreams. Norway recorded 13 attempts on goal, but only four were on target, with the ball frequently flying high, wide, or off-target. Haaland also saw one potential goal wiped out by the referee due to a push he made on a nearby defender.
Patrick Berg expressed the team's frustration regarding the officiating, specifically the goal that may have hit a wire. "It is what it is, you can't do much after it after," Berg said. "I think we feel more done by the 2-1, but… tough to take (in) a tight, close game. And they came out on top, and we pushed on until then. Did everything we could."
Despite the disappointment, Haaland remained upbeat, describing Norway’s first World Cup run in 28 years as an "unreal" experience. He expressed deep pride in how the team represented their nation. "I think how we put Norway on the map is maybe one thing that touches me the most. I think with the (viking) row, how good people we are… I think that really touches me, and we put Norway on the map," Haaland said postgame. He added that he hopes this performance helps establish Norway as a consistent contender in future Euros and World Cups.
As he prepares for a well-deserved vacation after a period of intense pressure and emotional highs, Haaland remains confident in the future of his generation of players. Reflecting on the last six weeks, he noted, "It's kind of difficult to take in this kind of show or rollercoaster we've been in over the last six weeks because it's been so much, and it's been so much pressure and so much feelings. Again, I think this changes Norway. I think it changes me. In the end, I'm just proud. I've been so proud every single day here now since we qualified."
