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England players know Haaland well

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A question that puzzles England players before Norway: How do we stop Haaland?

Al Arabiya.net

Published: July 11, 2026: 03:33 PM GST Last updated: July 11, 2026: 03:37 PM GST

Morgan Rogers raised the question on everyone's mind, a question that sums up the dilemma the England national team will have to solve if they want to reach the semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA World Cup: "Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland?" Rogers answered his own question, saying: "I'm not sure about that, but we have to try."

The Aston Villa forward came on as a substitute against Mexico to give England new vitality and help them secure victory in the Round of 16. While Rogers and Jude Bellingham are theoretically competing for the playmaker role, this talented duo had to fight together fiercely in unfamiliar defensive roles, proving that their sacrifice was the hallmark of Thomas Tuchel's team's strenuous efforts to maintain a narrow 3-2 lead despite playing with ten men.

Rogers knows Haaland's style of play well; the two players have faced each other several times in the English Premier League, and the Norwegian has been the league's top scorer in three of the last four seasons. After scoring 27 goals in 35 league matches last season, the striker continued his remarkable form in his first World Cup, finding the net seven times in four matches (he was rested in Norway's last group stage match against France).

Last season, Rogers' Aston Villa teammates outperformed Haaland's Manchester City, as the Villans won home and away against their star-studded rival. Ezri Konsa, who has become a regular in England's defense, excelled in preventing the Scandinavian giant from scoring at Villa Park.

He said: "We performed well in those matches against City, but every match is different. He can turn the game around in an instant. We just have to be extremely focused and aware of his movements and position inside the penalty area."

England left-back Nico O'Reilly shares a dressing room with Haaland at Manchester City, and he formed a lethal attacking duo with the Norwegian star for City last season.

O'Reilly, Haaland's teammate at Manchester City

He said, as quoted by FIFA's official website: "Erling is Erling, we all know his abilities. He can score goals. He is dangerous inside the box and poses a real threat."

Keeping a tight mark on Haaland is a difficult task for any defender, but Rogers believes neutralizing this giant striker requires much more than just an exceptional individual performance.

He explained: "It takes a whole team effort to stop a player like him, to cut off his supply lines. We have to study their style of play as a team, how they create chances. Maybe we have to try to stop their game plan, work on those aspects, and prevent the ball from reaching him, and how he gets his scoring opportunities."

Morgan Rogers

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