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Norway Insists Style Over Hype Ahead of England World Cup Quarterfinal

Solbakken says playing to Norway’s strengths by embracing pressure will be decisive against a favored England.

Overview

  • Norway and England meet in the World Cup quarterfinal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with Norway making its first quarterfinal appearance since 1998.
  • Coach Ståle Solbakken has urged the team to stick to its identity and says Norway must be at their very best to beat an experienced England side.
  • Media attention has focused on an Erling Haaland versus Harry Kane storyline, but Solbakken frames the match as a Norway versus England contest rather than an individual duel.
  • Haaland leads Norway with seven goals in the tournament while Kane has six, and Solbakken stressed that Haaland still needs service from team mates to be effective.
  • Norway enter the game buoyed by their upset of Brazil and a squad described as 'relaxed but competitive,' a balance Solbakken says is necessary to reach peak performance and reshape expectations for Norwegian football.