Neville: England Favorites vs Norway, but Haaland Is a 'Dangerous' Threat in World Cup Quarterfinal

Gary Neville insists England enter Saturday's World Cup quarterfinal as the clear favorites against Norway, but the former Manchester United defender warns that Erling Haaland's explosive quality could flip the script in an instant. England booked their spot in the last eight with a historic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the iconic Azteca stadium on Monday, despite playing the closing stages with 10 men. Jude Bellingham bagged a brace and Harry Kane converted a penalty to seal the win, hours after Norway had stunned five-time champions Brazil to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal. Haaland, who netted twice against Brazil, now sits joint top of the tournament scoring charts with seven goals, alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Speaking to News, Neville acknowledged the Three Lions' momentum but stressed the need for discipline when facing Norway's talisman. "It's tough to stop Haaland because he can be anonymous in matches—he doesn't touch the ball a lot—but you know he's explosive," Neville said. "He was devastating against Brazil. Those two goals were absolutely brilliant, classic Haaland. The first one, just moving in front of Gabriel with a brilliant header, and the second one is pure—just a touch and a powerful hit that beats one of the best goalkeepers in the world." Neville added: "Difficult to stop him for 90 minutes, or 120 if it goes to extra time, but we should be favorites. I don't think that's us getting carried away. It's going to be really tough on Saturday. Norway have got some firepower—a front four with Haaland at the point—and England are going to have to be on guard." The former England full-back also highlighted the need to avoid defensive lapses, recalling a moment against Mexico when Jordan Pickford had to save a Raul Jimenez header after England dropped too deep. "You can't drop back onto your goalkeeper with Haaland," Neville warned. "And set-pieces—you've got to make sure you're getting that first contact. If we can get rid of those one or two little bugs from the first half against Mexico, we were near perfect defensively." Neville reserved special praise for Bellingham, whose display at the Azteca made him the first player to score twice at that venue in a World Cup since Diego Maradona in 1986. Before the tournament, Neville had said Kane was England's only world-class player, with Bellingham and Declan Rice edging toward that level. Now he has changed his mind. "Bellingham has absolutely smashed through that ceiling," Neville said. "What we saw against Mexico was a complete performance, absolutely incredible. He looks completely and utterly free and has carried England through these last five matches. He's been on another level." England face Norway in Miami on Saturday, with a place in the World Cup semifinals on the line.