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Erling Haaland has repeatedly made the rounds this World Cup for downplaying Norway’s chances and taking a relatively pragmatic view of his side, even as Norway prepare to face England in the quarter-finals on Saturday July 11 at Miami Stadium.
Coming into this World Cup, Norway had never won a knockout match and were making their first World Cup appearance since 1998. But thanks to Haaland, who scored a ridiculous seven goals in four games after missing the final match of the group stage, Norway are now in the quarterfinals after winning two knockout matches against Ivory Coast and Brazil.
This is a remarkable feat for a team that historically shouldn’t make the final eight. But having a striker who is among the best players in the world has raised the level of Norway and changed the conversation around the team.
Haaland, however, believes that winning the World Cup remains a mountain to climb, even after Norway reached the quarter-finals.
Speaking to reporters about Norway’s chances of winning the tournament, Haaland kept it simple.
“Still very low,” Haaland said.
“I think there are clear favorites, England is one of them,” Haaland said with a laugh. “I think you should all put pressure on the English.”
This is not the first time Haaland has been pessimistic about Norway’s chances. After Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in a crucial group stage match, Haaland was asked about the possibility of facing France and also downplayed Norway’s chances of escaping.
“We made it, we made it through, which is amazing,” Haaland said. “So I’m not too interested in this match now. They’ll probably win against us, they’ll probably win the whole tournament.”
The question is whether Haaland really believes what he says, whether these are mind games he is trying to play, or whether it could be a combination of the two.
Haaland understands that Norway have historically not been one of the strongest teams in world football, but at this World Cup, with him leading the way, Norway have had a fabulous tournament so far.
