New ArticlesErling Braut HaalandErling Haaland endured a tough afternoon as England beat Norway 2-1 after extra-time to reach the World Cup semi-finals06:47, 12 Jul 2026Updated 06:49, 12 Jul 2026Erling Haaland claimed he'll now be rooting for England after they ended Norway's World Cup dream.‌The Manchester City phenomenon's father Alf-Inge felt aggrieved by the defeat, writing on X: "Well done [Jude] Bellingham and referee."‌Striker Haaland was slightly more gracious, though, and said when asked if he'll now be supporting the Three Lions: "Yes why not. I have some City friends at England. Of course I want them to do well. I got an England shirt before I got a Norway shirt when I was little."‌The prolific 25-year-old also paid tribute to his former Borussia Dortmund team-mate Bellingham after his double downed the Vikings. "Jude is a good friend," Haaland added. "We had two great years at Dortmund. We are good friends and he is such a nice guy. I am not surprised that he is scoring today and performing the way he is. The only thing is that he gets a bit too much criticism sometimes for not scoring enough goals. I think that is undeserved."Norway and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was not so gracious.He felt Bellingham's equaliser should have been chalked off for allegedly striking Spidercam, though FIFA says otherwise.‌Odegaard said: "It’s honestly a comedy that something like that is allowed to help decide a World Cup match at this level. But look, I haven't seen the footage properly yet."From what I’m told, it hits that wire, or cord, or whatever it is up there. And on the goal that was disallowed, the footage and then, it’s just bitter."‌Jordan Pickford revealed England never planned to solely focus on stopping Haaland. He added: "Everyone knows how good of a player Erling is but we also know how good of a team Norway are."It's not just an individual, it's a team game and they played good today."They got the goal but we bounced back and had to go into deep waters in extra time to get the result."Article continues belowGet the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Erling Braut HaalandFIFA World CupMartin OdegaardWhatsAppBVBEngland football teamArsenal FC