Reasons for 'unwell' Haaland’s lacklustre performance vs England explained

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Erling Haaland’s uncharacteristically quiet performance in Norway’s World Cup quarter-final exit to England has been attributed to a sickness bug that swept through the camp. The Manchester City superstar appeared a shadow of his usual self before being hauled off in extra time as the Three Lions secured a 2-1 victory.

Sickness bug strikes the Nordic giant

While much of the pre-match build-up focused on the titanic battle between Harry Kane and Haaland, the Norwegian striker failed to exert his usual dominance on the pitch. According to former Premier League striker Tony Cascarino, the 25-year-old was struggling with a physical ailment that mirrored the issues faced by England's Declan Rice earlier in the week.

Cascarino revealed that he received insider information regarding Haaland's condition during the interval of the tense knockout clash. "No, I was told last night, I got a message at half-time that apparently Erling Haaland wasn't well," Cascarino told the World Cup Weekender on talkSPORT. "He was another one who was suffering from a sickness. So, obviously the manager has alluded to it saying fitness issues, and he clearly didn't look right. Whatever we say, he didn't look right physically. He's come off, and he didn't say an injury. So I presume it was exactly what I just said. He suffered from not being well."

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A lack of trademark energy

The stats backed up the visual evidence, with Haaland struggling to find his rhythm against John Stones and Marc Guehi. Despite Alexander Sorloth's failure to square the ball to him during a pivotal moment when Norway led 1-0, it was Haaland's overall lack of mobility that raised eyebrows across the stadium in Miami. Furthermore, the Norway striker was at the centre of the match's biggest controversy when Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem's second-half goal was disallowed by VAR, after officials ruled that Haaland had fouled his future Man City teammate Elliot Anderson in the build-up.

Cascarino further emphasised the severity of the situation, noting that the forward’s usual explosive movements were nowhere to be seen. "He was unwell, yeah. He was unwell prior to the game," Cascarino added. "He doesn't touch the ball a lot anyway but I was surprised about how much energy he lacked as well. Him and Sorloth both looked like they didn't have the sort of drive and he looked absolutely… I just looked at him afterwards and thought, well, what I'd heard in half-time - I'm saying I know it from somebody who would know that - he was meant to be [sick], he wasn't well."

Solbakken explains the tactical withdrawal

Norway manager Stale Solbakken confirmed after the match that withdrawing his talisman was a straightforward decision based on the player’s physical state. Haaland, who has been the standout individual performer for Norway with seven goals at the tournament, finally hit a wall in the heat of the quarter-final. 

Speaking to reporters, Solbakken said: "It was not a tough decision to take him out, because he was finished. Maybe I should have taken him out ten minutes before. Obviously, he has had a tremendous World Cup, he used all his energy and power game after game after game. I think that he also got a dead leg in the second half, so that combined with the fatigue. But he did everything that he could, I think he was a bit unlucky in a couple of situations. But he scored seven goals in five games for us, he had a fantastic World Cup."

Norway v England: Quarter Final - FIFA World Cup 2026

Rice and Haaland share similar struggles

The sickness issue was not exclusive to the Norway camp, as England midfielder Rice also faced a race against time to feature in the match. The Arsenal star had reportedly spent days confined to his bed before Thomas Tuchel decided he could only manage 45 minutes of the quarter-final. The exhaustion levels of the world's top players have become a major talking point as the tournament reaches its final stages.