England and Norway will meet each other in the quarter-finals today, with a game that has all the potential to be a World Cup classic. Both teams come into this off the back of very different but equally impressive victories in their round of 16 games. Norway overcame 5-time winners Brazil in a 2-1 win, taking them to a first-ever World Cup quarter-final in the country’s history. While England were tasked with playing Mexico, in Mexico City at the Azteca stadium, they came away with a 3-2 win to take them to back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals.
Norway’s historic run goes on
Norway have lived up to the dark horse label that a lot of people put on them before a ball was kicked this summer. They breezed through the group stages, starting the tournament with a 4-1 win against Iraq before beating Senegal 3-2, allowing them to rotate their entire team against France. They lost to the French 4-1 in the final group game, but as they were already guaranteed a place in the knockouts, they seemed not to care in the slightest.
The Round of 32 had them see off Ivory Coast in a 2-1 win, thanks to a long-range curling effort from Nusa and a trademark Haaland tap-in from close range. The statement win for Norway in this tournament came in the last round against Brazil. They won 2-1, which suggests it was a close affair; however, Brazil’s lone goal was a last-minute consolation via a Neymar penalty. Norway controlled the game, having most of the ball, with 66% possession and finishing with more shots on target than the Brazilians. Both the Norwegian goals came from Erling Haaland’s brilliance, one a powerful header and the other a freakishly accurate shot into the bottom corner from outside the box. Norway have been playing with a great sense of freedom, probably down to the fact that they are in uncharted territory and don’t appear to be under any pressure from their fans back home. How far can this Norwegian fairy tale go?
Is it coming home?
England’s national team have engulfed their country this summer thanks to the performances on the pitch. A group stage which started with a goal fest in a 4-2 win over Croatia, followed up by an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Ghana, before a 2-0 win against Panama in the last game to top the group. It was nothing special from England, but it got the job done. The knockouts are where the hype started to build.
It began with a late comeback against DR Congo thanks to a Harry Kane brace, avoiding a major upset. In the Round of 16, they faced their toughest challenge yet against Mexico at Azteca Stadium—a match that had been hyped more than any other in the tournament. They experienced everything: the altitude, the atmosphere, and the heat. However, England came away with a place in the quarter-finals. Their fans will tell you that it was their best performance at a World Cup since they won the tournament in 1966. It has the country believing that maybe, just maybe, it could be coming home again.
The winner of this match will face either Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 15.
