Why 'finished' Erling Haaland was substituted in extra time for Norway against England in World Cup quarter-final defeat

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Erling Haaland enjoyed a debut World Cup to remember, with seven goals in his first five appearances at the tournament, leading Norway on a brilliant run to the quarter-final stage and a meeting with England.

Haaland hails World Cup side for putting 'Norway on the map' after exit to England

Video credit: SNTV

But the striker's time in North America ended in disappointment when he was substituted at half-time of extra time in Norway's defeat to Thomas Tuchel's team on Saturday in the last eight of the tournament.

Haaland had been largely anonymous for most of the match in Miami, as England's defensive plan did well to stifle any supply directed towards the 25-year-old.

And with Norway trailing England by a goal in extra time - after Jude Bellingham's second goal of the game - manager Stale Solbakken made the bold choice of bringing off Haaland and replacing him with Crystal Palace frontman Jorgen Strand Larsen for the final 15 minutes.

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Strand Larsen and Norway were unable to take the game to penalties, with the television coverage of the match repeatedly showing a frustrated Haaland watching on from the bench, as England held on to book their spot in the semi-finals.

After the match, Solbakken explained that he took off Haaland as a result of the taxing conditions the game was played in, with a heat index reaching 38 degrees Celsius during the match, per the Associated Press.

"It was not a tough decision to take him out," Solbakken told reporters. "He was finished. Maybe I should have taken him out 10 minutes before.

"He also got a dead leg in the second half, so that combined with the fatigue. He did everything he could."

Haaland has been one of the stars of the 2026 World Cup, with his goalscoring exploits propelling Norway to their first quarter-final appearance at the tournament.

Before the game against England, Haaland had scored 27 goals in 14 games for Norway but struggled to have an impact against Tuchel's side, managing just two shots in the game and only one on target.

After Norway's elimination though, the Manchester City striker was sanguine about his experience at the tournament.

"This has been an insane journey," Haaland said. "I think this has changed my life, to be honest. I think we put Norway on the map."

Though Haaland’s World Cup ended in disappointment, the Manchester City superstar did not leave North America empty-handed, returning to his native Norway carrying a stuffed raccoon.

Stepping off the plane, Haaland had the stuffed animal under one arm, and he was quick to update his fans on the moment, taking to social media to say: "It followed me home."

He had previously posted an image of it alongside two squirrels, who were drinking beers, on his Snapchat, calling them ”geezers”.

Between Haaland, the thrilling matches they were part of, and their post-match "Viking Row" celebrations, Norway captured the hearts and minds of many neutral spectators at this 2026 World Cup.

After their tournament came to an end, Solbakken said he was "really proud" of what his side achieved in North America.

"I hope that the summer of '26 has been okay for everybody and that we've done something good together," Solbakken said.

"We have had fantastic support from all of Norway, and we lived up to the hype, and that's what I'm really proud of.

"We said ⁠that we would step up when we got to the World Cup from the fantastic qualifiers, and we've managed to do so, and the boys did so. And we have been here together for six and a half weeks. I don't see that people have been bored ⁠for a second, and that's good to know."

England will face Argentina in the last four in Atlanta on Wednesday, 24 hours after another heavyweight semi-final meeting between France and Spain.

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