The 3 keys for England to beat Erling Haaland and Norway to advance to the World Cup semifinals

England has a team standing in their way of a spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals, and that team, while talented as a group, has a standout 6-foot-4 giant speedster in the Golden Boot race.

After beating Mexico in a thriller last weekend, the Three Lions advanced to three consecutive World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in almost 60 years (1962-1970). Now, the only thing standing in their way to the semi-finals is Erling Haaland and Norway on Saturday in Miami.

Former England defender Warren Barton, who is now a World Cup match analyst for FOX Sports, was impressed with the way his team handled Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium, also known as Aztec Stadium – against home field advantage. But the Three Lions have to build on their success in the round of 16 to keep the dream of returning home alive.

“It’s a game I’m really looking forward to playing,” Barton told us recently. “I’m not too confident, but I’m pretty confident. And he’s not coming home yet, but he could be on the plane. We don’t know.”

Barton predicts a 2-0 England victory, but knows it won’t be easy. Here are his three keys for England to defeat Norway in the World Cup quarterfinals.

This is a given, considering Haaland accounts for seven of Norway’s 11 World Cup goals in this tournament. But it is crucial.

“The most important thing they have to do is keep Haaland quiet,” Barton said. “It’s an obvious statement, but it only takes half a chance. No matter how much England does with the ball, and [Martin] Ødegaard has done well; “I think we played very, very well against him.”

Haaland is just behind Argentine Lionel Messi and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot, as both have eight goals each. (Argentina, however, has yet to play its quarterfinal match against Switzerland on Saturday, while France advanced to the semifinals with a win over Morocco.)

From Barton’s defensive perspective, he said that if England’s players can put some pressure on Haaland on the field and count on him not to run after them, they will be in a strong position. However, they will have to make sure that there is always a corpse on top of it.

“You have to push him up and not let them pass the ball to him,” Barton said. “There will be times when they will have the ball; make them go direct. Don’t sit back and invite them to have possession and advance, so they can get closer and closer to the goal. I think we have to keep it high. Have a high line and play a high line and make them play direct.”

Again, it may be obvious, but it is still vital to success. Kane and Bellingham lead England’s World Cup goals tally in this tournament and combine to account for 10 of the team’s 11 goals so far. Kane has six and is not far from the Golden Boot favorites.

And while Norway will certainly look to stifle England’s best duo, allowing them scoring opportunities and capitalizing on their chemistry will go a long way, Barton said.

“I think they both have come to this tournament with the intention of showing that they have been formidable,” he explained.

“Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, probably more than any combination in this tournament, complement each other very well… I just think those two have really led the way. And when you have your forwards leading the way, it’s a lot easier for the other nine players behind them to go and follow them, and do that.

“I can’t really think of any couple, Ødegaard and Haaland, maybe, but they just make the career change, they help each other, they’re selfless, they respect each other. So I think they’re really an outstanding combination.”

The Three Lions have another advantage over Norway, in Barton’s opinion, with significant depth thanks to so many players competing at a high level. He noted that Norway sometimes has the ability to rely on its bench, but it is not as effective as England.

“You manage your substitutions and your player minutes, and that’s where England [has] Maybe they have a bigger advantage than Norway in terms of depth,” Barton added.

“They bring in players, there isn’t much drop-off. When you look at some nations, they make a lot of changes… because of injuries, because of suspension, because of key players who don’t have the quality to come in and play at that level, like France, and I think England too.”

Beating Mexico in Mexico City is not an easy task. But after the way England achieved victory, they need to maintain the “unity and spirit” of that victory while building on the built-up confidence.

“The way they delved into Mexico [and] all elements, not only altitude, but also fans and ejection [of Jarell Quansah]the referee and everything that goes with it, with the game being played away from home, they showed a lot of character,” Barton said.

(Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)

Knowing the players well also helps, he added, especially his Manchester City teammates Haaland and Marc Guéhi.

“So I think they come into this game with a lot, a lot of confidence,” Barton added, “not just because [the Mexico] result, but they also play very well against Norway.