The manager of Norway described why Erling Haaland left the match early against England. It was a great run at the 2026 World Cup for Norway until England beat them 2-1 after extra time. However, the main doubt after the elimination was Erling Haaland‘s exit before the second half of extra time, which Ståle Solbakken explained was mainly due to fatigue. Solbakken said: “It was not a tough decision because he was finished and maybe I should’ve taken him out 10 minutes before. He obviously had a tremendous World Cup.” The manager also revealed that Haaland was dealing with a “dead leg.” This loss may not have been unexpected with all the quality England put on the field, but it certainly hurts more because Norway had been ahead. Even with the quarterfinal elimination, the team achieved the best World Cup run in its history.