Erling Haaland shares his thoughts after a painful loss to England

Following a painful defeat (1-2) to England in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, the star striker of the Norway national team, Erling Haaland shared his thoughts. Despite the loss, the leader of the Scandinavians, who caused a real sensation in the tournament, did not hide his immense pride in his team's achievements and the football culture awakened in his home country. Zamin.uz presents the striker's statement to the renowned BBC.

“You have to experience this crazy reality yourself”

Haaland emphasized that the national team's intense run at the 2026 World Cup managed to unite the entire Norwegian nation toward a single goal, which is the greatest achievement for the players.

From Erling Haaland's passionate remarks: "We are very moved by the success we have achieved and by the fact that we were able to unite the people in Norway. Thanks to the joy we provided, there is a lot of positive energy both in our homeland and here at the tournament.

It is hard to process everything right now. This is truly some kind of crazy reality. You have to experience it yourself to understand it. That is exactly what I was striving for."

“We made them talk about Norway”

Although the Norway national team stopped at the threshold of the semi-finals, Haaland believes he fulfilled his main strategic task. His goal was not only to win the trophy but to place his homeland among the elite of world football:

• Elite status: "I wanted to put Norway on the world map and cement our status as one of the best national teams in the world," says the prolific striker.

• Mission accomplished: The player proudly noted that he achieved his goal: "I think we managed to make them talk about Norway here."

The brightest team of the Mundial

Recall that Norway left the tournament after losing 1-2 to England in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals. However, their victory over a world giant like Brazil in the playoffs and the attacking football they displayed will be remembered for a long time in the history of this World Cup. Previously, head coach Ståle Solbakken also praised his boys for their courage after the match and could not hold back his tears, as we reported earlier.