Norway coach Stale Solbakken has said Erling Haaland is one of a kind as his side gears up for a World Cup quarterfinal showdown with England on Saturday that will see the giant striker go up against defenders he meets regularly in the Premier League.
Haaland has been in sensational form at his first World Cup, Norway’s first finals since 1998, popping up in the right place at the right time to bang in seven goals so far that have powered his team into the last eight of the tournament.
“All great players have a need to show themselves, if they are not involved in the game, they often seek to move out the pitch to say, ‘here I am’. Erling is indifferent to that,” Solbakken told reporters.
“He knows what he is best at, he knows what he can help the team with, and that was the case on Sunday ... there has never before been a footballer who plays in this way.”
The 58-year-old coach was referring to Haaland’s late brace to give his side a sensational 2-1 win over Brazil that put them through to the quarter-finals, with Norwegian fans now scrambling to get across the Atlantic to see the game.
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Airlines have been putting extra tickets to Florida on sale, with the seats being snapped up almost as quickly as they are made available.
“They’ve been going as fast as Haaland runs,” Oystein Schmidt, spokesperson for airline SAS, told Norway’s TV2.
Solbakken added that some of his players have been feeling under the weather, as a month of travel, training and high-pressure games begins to take its toll on the squad.
Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is one of those dealing with health issues, Solbakken added.
“We’ve really only had Jorgen who has had a fever, but then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping scattered throughout,” Solbakken told reporters. “But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that.
“There’s 50 people (in Norway’s travelling party), so it would be strange if something or other didn’t crop up.”
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Published on Jul 08, 2026