England brace for Haaland as injuries bite
England march into the quarter-finals with a statement win behind them and a sizeable headache ahead of them.
The 2-0 victory over Mexico at the Azteca was the sort of result coaches dream about and tournament historians underline. Co-hosts. Altitude. A stadium where Mexico simply do not lose. England went there and did exactly that to reach the last eight.
But the cost is already mounting.
Jarell Quansah’s red card in the last 16 has brought a two-game suspension, ruling the defender out of the quarter-final against Norway and any potential semi-final. On top of that, there are fitness doubts over Marc Guehi, Declan Rice and Reece James as Saturday’s tie looms. For a side that has quietly built its platform on defensive control, that is a serious concern.
The irony is that England’s back line, not their star-studded attack, defined the win over Mexico. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane continued their outstanding tournaments, Bellingham’s sharpness and Kane’s authority once again setting the tone. Yet it was the resilience behind them that told the story.
Jordan Pickford produced the kind of big-tournament performance England have come to rely on, while substitute Dan Burn stepped into the chaos after Quansah’s dismissal and helped shut the door. Reduced to 10 men before the hour, England were forced into a long, nervy rearguard. They bent under waves of crosses and pressure. They did not break.
That, more than the scoreline, will encourage Thomas Tuchel as he turns to the next assignment: Erling Haaland.
Stopping Haaland is every coach’s nightmare and Tuchel’s latest puzzle. The England manager would gladly have accepted this quarter-final draw at the start of the tournament; now it comes with the caveat of a patched-up defence and one less centre-back available. How he reorganises around that loss will shape the tie – and perhaps England’s entire campaign.
Norway’s golden edge
Norway arrive with the swagger that comes from finally breaking a ceiling. Their win over Brazil did more than shock a superpower. It showcased a team that knows exactly where its strength lies and is unapologetic about leaning on it.
Haaland, “surely the world's deadliest striker” on current form, dragged them into their first World Cup quarter-final with a ruthless double. Give him a yard, and the game tilts. Give him two, and the game ends.
But this is not a one-man act.
Orjan Nyland has been playing out of his skin in goal, repelling Brazil with a performance that will live long in Norwegian folklore. In front of him, a side comfortable both on the ball and in the fight has grown into the tournament. They can keep it, they can scrap, and they do not wilt physically.
Martin Odegaard knits it all together. The Arsenal captain dictates tempo, finds pockets, and keeps Norway ticking when others might panic. With Manchester City’s Haaland and Arsenal’s Odegaard leading the way, Norway now stare across at a quarter-final full of familiar Premier League faces in the England ranks.
This is no fairytale outsider. It is a team that knows it can hurt anyone.
Belgium rediscover their bite, but Spain await
Written off, again. Belgium have heard it all before.
After lifeless displays against Egypt and Iran, it felt like the same old story: a golden generation sliding into the sunset. Then came a 5-1 demolition of New Zealand to close the group stage, a result that jolted them awake and into the knockouts with purpose.
The real shock followed. Against Senegal in the round of 32, Belgium stared elimination in the face, 2-0 down in the 86th minute. Somehow, they turned it around, forcing extra time and then winning it from the spot. It was improbable, wild, and exactly the sort of night that can transform a campaign.
Momentum carried them into the last 16, where they dispatched the U.S. to reach the quarter-finals. For all the doubts, they are still here, still swinging. The question now is whether that surge is enough to unseat Spain.
Their chances have taken a hit. Amadou Onana, so important in midfield, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Losing the Aston Villa man strips Belgium of energy, height and bite in the centre of the pitch at the worst possible moment.
They are on a roll. Spain will test just how real it is.
Switzerland break their ceiling at last
Switzerland have made a habit of reaching World Cup knockouts, then quietly bowing out. Round of 16, pack the bags, fly home. Three tournaments in a row it went that way.
Not this time.
Against Colombia, they finally cracked the code, winning their first World Cup penalty shootout to reach a first quarter-final since they hosted the tournament in 1954. It was a night of nerve, not flair, and that suited them just fine.
They did it without Johan Manzambi, the 20-year-old who had lit up their campaign with three goals and two assists. His injury stripped them of their sharpest creative edge and it showed: only two shots on target across the tie, little sustained threat. But what they lacked in invention, they made up for in discipline and defensive steel.
They ground Colombia down, held their shape, and trusted their structure. In the shootout, they held their nerve.
Argentina await next. On paper, it is a step up in class. On the pitch, a Swiss side this stubborn and battle-hardened will quietly fancy that they can drag the world champions into exactly the kind of game they hate – tight, tense, and decided on the smallest of margins.
