England midfielder Morgan Rogers has acknowledged that there may be no perfect method to stop Norway striker Erling Haaland, but believes disrupting the service to the Manchester City forward will be crucial when the two teams meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday.
Haaland's Lethal Form
Haaland has scored seven goals in the tournament so far, making him one of the leading scorers. Rogers admitted the scale of the challenge when asked how England plans to contain him.
"Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? Not sure they have, but we're gonna try," Rogers told reporters, according to 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."
Premier League Familiarity
Rogers, who plays for Aston Villa, is no stranger to facing Haaland. Villa have kept the Norwegian scoreless during Manchester City's last four visits to Villa Park. However, the 23-year-old downplayed that record and warned that Norway possess quality throughout the squad, including Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.
England's Dramatic Win Over Mexico
England enter the quarter-final on the back of a dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 victory 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."
Henderson Returns After Surgery
England 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."
Fan Tradition with Oasis Song
Off the pitch, England's supporters have embraced a new World Cup tradition by singing Oasis' iconic song 'Wonderwall' after matches. When asked if he knew the lyrics, Rogers joked: "Don't think you're English if you don't know the lyrics. 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.
