England Faces Haaland Test: Rogers Reveals Plan to Stop Norway Star

'Has anyone ever stopped Haaland?': England's Morgan Rogers eyes Norway test in FIFA World Cup WF

Missouri, July 9

England will take on Norway in Miami on Saturday (local time) with a place in the semi-finals at stake, facing a Haaland-led attack that has been among the tournament's most dangerous. The Manchester City forward has already netted seven goals at this World Cup, making him one of the competition's leading scorers.

Asked how England is planning to contain the prolific striker, Rogers acknowledged the scale of the challenge.

"Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? Not sure they have, but we're gonna try," Rogers told reporters, as per Reuters.

"He's such an unbelievable player, the things he does, the numbers he puts up, you just know how good he is that we're gonna have to maybe try and ... stop how the balls go into him and how he gets his chances, because he's so deadly in front of the goal," he said.

Rogers is no stranger to facing Haaland, with his club, Aston Villa, keeping the Norwegian scoreless during Manchester City's last four visits to Villa Park. However, the 23-year-old was quick to downplay that record and warned that Norway possess quality throughout the squad, including Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

England head into the contest on the back of one of their most memorable World Cup victories in recent years, a dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 triumph over Mexico despite playing with 10 men for much of the match.

The physically demanding encounter left the squad exhausted after returning to their Kansas City base in the early hours of Monday morning, but Rogers insisted the focus has quickly shifted to the next challenge.

"That was the message today with our first training session back, is that we go for it again, we go and get more, and we can still improve and get better," he said.

"For a lot of us, this will be the biggest game we've been involved in, especially at a World Cup in the circumstances," Rogers added.

England also received a timely morale boost with the return of experienced midfielder Jordan Henderson, who rejoined the squad after undergoing surgery on the arm injury he sustained while celebrating the victory over Mexico.

"That just shows exactly what he's like as a person," Rogers said, according to Reuters. "To see him this morning, smiling, and still as happy as he ever is, no matter what's happened to him in the last 48 hours or whatnot, is so nice for us. He's kind of the heartbeat of the group."

Off the pitch, England's supporters have embraced a new World Cup tradition by singing Oasis' iconic song 'Wonderwall' after matches. Rogers smiled when asked if he knew the lyrics.

"Don't think you're English if you don't know the lyrics," he joked. "It's such a known song, everyone has to know the lyrics of that. If not, you better learn them quick."

With Haaland standing between England and another World Cup semi-final, Thomas Tuchel's side will be hoping their familiarity with the Norwegian striker from the Premier League can help them overcome one of football's most formidable goalscorers.

— ANI