Norway doctor denies Haaland illness claims after England's 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win

Norway team doctor Ola Sand has dismissed claims that Erling Haaland was suffering from illness ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final, in which England beat Norway 2-1 after extra time. When asked directly by Norwegian outlet Dagbladet about the rumours, Sand’s response was a single word: “No.”

The speculation arose after Haaland endured an unusually subdued performance and was substituted at half-time of extra time, with Norway still needing a goal to stay in the tournament. TalkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino had claimed on the station’s World Cup Weekender show that he received a message at half-time suggesting Haaland had been unwell. “I got a message at half-time that apparently Erling Haaland wasn’t well,” Cascarino said. “He was suffering from a sickness. He clearly didn’t look right — he didn’t say an injury, so I presume he was unwell prior to the game.”

Cascarino also noted that Haaland’s strike partner Alexander Sorloth appeared similarly lacking in energy, though no official explanation was offered for either player’s performance.

There had been broader illness concerns within the Norway squad in the days before the match, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marcus Holmgren Pedersen among those reported to have had a slight cough and fever, attributed at the time to air conditioning.

England had their own fitness worries heading into the game. Declan Rice, who has been central to Thomas Tuchel’s midfield, was confirmed to have spent several days in bed with a sickness bug before the match. Rice started but was withdrawn at half-time, with Eberechi Eze coming on in his place and Bukayo Saka replacing Noni Madueke at the same time.

The match itself had been billed as a duel between Harry Kane and Haaland, but neither striker scored. It was Jude Bellingham who proved decisive, netting twice — once in normal time and once in extra time — to cancel out Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half opener for Norway and send England into the semi-finals.