Erling Haaland tells England to be confident but insists pressure is on them

Erling Haaland has warned England that they carry the weight of expectation into their World Cup quarter-final against Norway, insisting the pressure is firmly on Thomas Tuchel’s side. England fans were relieved to avoid Brazil after Norway stunned Carlo Ancelotti’s men 2-1 to set up a tie that, on paper, looks far kinder for the Three Lions. The winner books a place in the semi-finals. Speaking to News reporter Gary Cotterill after Norway’s training session, Haaland was asked whether England supporters should stay humble. “I think everyone should stay humble — but they should be confident of progressing, definitely,” he said. When asked if the pressure was on England, Haaland replied: “I think there are some clear favourites out there. I think England is one of them, so I think every single one of you should put pressure on the English lads!” The Manchester City striker acknowledged the unique nature of the matchup given his deep ties to English football. “It’s a special game, definitely. I think for me it’s super special because I play in England and I’m born in England and you also play against team-mates and everything. So it’s a bit, not weird, but it’s a funny game and it’s going to be nice.” Haaland admitted he never imagined Norway would be 90 minutes from a World Cup semifinal. “I definitely didn’t expect this at all. I said it plenty of times before — even before the Brazil game I didn’t expect — and I didn’t expect us to be in the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup. It’s quite surprising even for me.” He added: “I enjoy so many things. First of all, just to be able to play in the World Cup is just an honour and a huge goal for me in my career. To be able to be here and play on the biggest stage with my Norwegian friends against the best teams in the world is really special. Playing Brazil was kind of crazy for us Norwegians and to win against Brazil and to go and play England in the quarter-finals in the World Cup in the USA is quite special. I think if you watch the scenes back in Norway [you can see] it’s not normal for Norway.”