Norway coach Stale Solbakken has described striker Erling Haaland as "one of a kind" ahead of their World Cup quarter-final match against England. The game, scheduled for Saturday, will feature Haaland facing defenders he regularly encounters in the Premier League.
Haaland has been in exceptional form during his first World Cup appearance, which is Norway's first finals since 1998. He has scored seven goals so far, helping propel Norway into the tournament's last eight.
Solbakken highlighted Haaland's distinctive approach to the game, saying, "All great players have a need to show themselves, if they are not involved in the game, they often seek to move out the pitch to say, 'here I am'. Erling is indifferent to that. He knows what he is best at, he knows what he can help the team with, and that was the case on Sunday ... there has never before been a footballer who plays in this way."
The coach was referring to Haaland's late brace that secured a sensational 2-1 victory over Brazil, which advanced Norway to the quarter-finals. Following this win, Norwegian fans have been eager to travel across the Atlantic to Florida to watch the upcoming match.
Airline SAS has responded by releasing additional tickets to Florida, which have been selling rapidly. "They've been going as fast as Haaland runs," said Oystein Schmidt, a spokesperson for SAS, in an interview with Norway's TV2.
Loading comments.