Solbakken: Haaland Is 'One of a Kind' Ahead of Norway vs England World Cup Clash

Going as fast as Haaland runs 

Erling Haaland has netted 7 goals at his first World Cup to power Norway into a quarter-final showdown with England and Premier League defenders he knows well.

Haaland's 7 goals fire Norway into quarter-finals as England looms...

Norway boss Stale Solbakken called Erling Haaland one of a kind as his team prepares for a World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday. The match will pit the prolific striker against Premier League defenders he faces week in, week out.

Haaland has been outstanding in Norway’s first World Cup since 1998. The giant forward has scored seven goals so far, always showing up in the right spots to fire his country into the last eight.

“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,“ Solbakken told reporters.

“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 58-year-old was talking about Haaland’s late double that sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Brazil and sent Norway into the quarter-finals. Now Norwegian supporters are rushing to book flights across the Atlantic to watch the game.

Airlines have added extra flights to Florida and the seats are selling out almost instantly.  

“They've been going as fast as Haaland ⁠runs,” SAS spokesperson Oystein Schmidt told Norway’s TV2.