Neville Warns England Must Contain Haaland Threat

Gary Neville has told England not to get carried away after their escape from the Azteca, warning that Erling Haaland represents a very different problem to anything Thomas Tuchel’s side have faced at the World Cup so far. England needed a Jude Bellingham double, a Harry Kane penalty and eleven added minutes of backs-to-the-wall defending with ten men to beat Mexico 3-2 in Mexico City, having also played through a kick-off delayed by an hour and Jarell Quansah’s 54th-minute red card. Hours earlier, Haaland had scored twice to send five-time champions Brazil out of the tournament and put Norway into their first ever World Cup quarterfinal.

The two results set up a last-eight meeting in Miami on Saturday, and Neville, speaking to Sky Sports News, said England should go in as favourites, but not comfortable ones.

The numbers behind the win illustrate why Neville was both proud and wary. Bellingham’s two goals arrived just 98 seconds apart in the first half, before Julian Quinones halved the deficit for Mexico before the break. Quansah’s dismissal followed early in the second half, and Kane’s penalty made it 3-1 before Raul Jimenez’s spot-kick, awarded after Kane was penalised following a VAR review, set up a nervous final quarter of an hour in front of more than 80,000 fans at the Azteca.

Neville said Haaland is tough to stop, as he can go quiet for long spells in games without touching the ball much, only to turn explosive when the chance comes. He added that England should go into the Norway game as favourites, but that it will still be a tough test.

A Different Kind of Threat

Haaland’s brace against Brazil took him to seven goals at this World Cup, level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the top of the scoring charts. Neville was full of admiration for both finishes.

Norway’s win over Brazil followed their first-ever World Cup knockout victory, against Côte d’Ivoire in the last 32, meaning Ståle Solbakken’s side arrive in Miami on the back of consecutive knockout wins for the first time in the nation’s history. Both results were built on the same foundation: defensive discipline for long periods, and Haaland doing what Haaland does when the opportunity finally arrives.

“He was devastating against Brazil; those two goals were absolutely brilliant, classic Haaland,” Neville said. “The first one, just moving in front of Gabriel with a brilliant header, and the second one is just pure, just touch and a powerful hit that you know beats one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”

Neville also praised the Norway coaching staff for their in-game management, pointing to the half-time changes that shifted the balance of the last-16 tie in New Jersey.

“The manager was really brave for Norway at half-time, changing the two wide players; I thought it had a big impact on the game,” he said. “Norway have got some firepower. They’ve got a front four, whoever they play up there, but Haaland, obviously right at the point of it, that are dangerous and England are going to have to be on guard.”

Homework for Tuchel’s Defence

For all his praise of England’s win, Neville flagged specific defensive issues Tuchel’s side will need to correct before Saturday. Jordan Pickford was called into a smart save from a Raul Jimenez header after England sat too deep in that passage of play, and set-pieces were identified as a particular danger area against a Norway side capable of causing problems from dead-ball situations.

“You can’t drop back onto your goalkeeper with Haaland,” Neville said. “And then set-pieces, you’ve just got to make sure you’re getting that first contact. It’s a classic sort of thing. If you concede from set-pieces, it will undermine your performances.”

He added: “If we can get rid of those one or two little bugs that we had last night in that first half, we were near on perfect defensively. A brilliant game to look forward to in Miami on Saturday but it’s going to be tough. England should just edge it but it’s dangerous.”

Bellingham Smashes Through the Ceiling

Neville reserved his highest praise for Bellingham, who became only the second player to score twice at the Azteca in a World Cup match; the other was Diego Maradona, against England in 1986. Before the tournament, Neville had rated Kane above every other player in England’s squad. That assessment has now changed.

Neville said that going into the tournament, he had never viewed it as a choice between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers. Rogers is a fine player, he said, but Bellingham had to start, and Neville had rated Harry Kane as the squad’s only elite-level talent at that point, with Declan Rice and Bellingham closing in on that standard.

“In this tournament, Bellingham’s absolutely smashed through that ceiling. What we saw against Mexico was a complete performance. It was absolutely incredible, and we’ve seen that over the last few weeks.”

“From the very first game in that tunnel against Croatia, I saw Elliot Anderson looking fierce before the game; Bellingham looked like he was enjoying it. He looked completely and utterly free and has carried England. These last five matches, he’s been unbelievable, along with Harry Kane, but Bellingham has been on another level. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Grit at the Azteca

Neville described the Mexico game itself as containing everything a great World Cup tie should.

“The game had absolutely everything that you would want in a football match,” he said. “It was going into the lion’s den, conditions difficult, delayed kick-off, penalties, sendings off, everything that you would want in a brilliant football match happened and England were absolutely magnificent.”

He admitted his own nerves beforehand had given way to real satisfaction once the final whistle went.

He said he could not have been more proud of the players, admitting he had been underwhelmed and nervous at times over England’s defensive shape and vulnerability at the back. He singled out the first half last night as an exception, when the shape was fantastic and the wide players connected far more with the rest of the defensive unit to keep the team compact.

Neville said the introduction of a back five, and the discipline it demanded, summed up the character running through the group.

“You’ve got to be able to manage games without possession; you’ve got to be able to dominate with possession. We’ve also got to be able to go punch for punch and just dig in there and show grit and determination, fight, and I have to say every single one of them out on that pitch last night did that, and then above and beyond that.”

Tuchel and Kane Reflect

England head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “Very proud. We needed everything. It was super difficult. In the moments we thought we could catch the momentum, we had setbacks. That is proper mentality. This team really mean it. When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief.”

England captain Harry Kane said the win is one the players and fans will remember for the rest of their lives, given how it came about: the adversity the squad had to overcome, being away from home and decisions that went against them. He said the team dug deep to find a way through, and that he could not be prouder of the players.

Norway Arrive Full of Belief

Norway winger Andreas Schjelderup, who set up both of Haaland’s goals against Brazil, insisted the win had been thoroughly deserved. “With the team and the players we have, we knew it would be a close-fought match,” he said. “Fortunately for us, we came out on top, and as far as I’m concerned it was well deserved. Of course, we must also pay tribute to Brazil who are an excellent team.”

Defender David Moller Wolfe said the scale of the achievement was still sinking in for the Norway squad. “It’s incredible. I don’t think any of us fully realise yet how important this victory is for the whole country,” he told FIFA. “I can’t wait to get on the bus to watch the footage of what’s happening in Norway at the moment. It really is something very special to be part of this team.”

Norway have never reached a World Cup quarterfinal before, and neither side will arrive in Miami with any margin for error. England have the scars of the Azteca and the belief that comes from surviving them, while Norway have Haaland, a striker capable of deciding a match in three touches. Neville’s verdict stands as the clearest marker before kickoff: England should win, but nobody should assume it.

A place in the semi-finals would be uncharted territory again for Norway, who have never previously gone beyond the last 16 of a World Cup. For England, the reward would be a first appearance in the final four in eight years. Both sides know exactly what Saturday’s meeting in Miami is worth. Whatever happens, this will be the first World Cup quarter-final either nation has ever contested against the other, and neither Tuchel nor Solbakken will want to be the manager left explaining what went wrong.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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