Norway's head coach Stale Solbakken has disclosed that he had to substitute Erling Haaland during the 2-1 loss to England due to issues with his fitness.
This decision likely brought relief across Norway, as the Three Lions were no longer threatened by Haaland's relentless presence.
Indeed, the removal of Norway's all-time leading scorer and record-setting striker caught everyone by surprise.
Haaland has been a standout performer at the international tournament in North America, scoring seven times.
However, the Manchester City star was replaced in extra time at the beginning of the second half while Norway sought a late equalizer.
Solbakken has now clarified the reasoning behind his substitution, with Crystal Palace’s Jorgen Strand Larsen stepping in for Haaland.
He stated after the match (via talkSPORT): “It wasn't a difficult decision to take him off, as he was out of gas.
“Perhaps I should have substituted him ten minutes earlier.
“Clearly, he has had an incredible World Cup, expending all his energy and power match after match.
“I believe he also sustained a dead leg in the second half, which, combined with his fatigue, influenced the decision.
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“Yet, he gave everything he had; I think he was a bit unfortunate in a few instances.
“He scored seven goals in five matches for us; he had a fantastic World Cup.”
With Norway's primary goal-scoring threat sidelined on the bench during the final moments, England secured the victory – even though Thomas Tuchel was not entirely satisfied with the performance.
England had to rally from behind in Miami after Andreas Schjelderup's opener in the 36th minute, with Jude Bellingham leveling the score just before halftime.
Then, the Real Madrid midfielder netted again three minutes into extra time, propelling England into only their fourth World Cup semi-final.
