According to British media outlet talkSPORT, former Ireland international and Chelsea & Aston Villa striker Tony Cascarino revealed that he received a text message at halftime reminding him that Haaland was also feeling unwell before the match, just like Rice.
In the World Cup quarter-final, England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time to advance to the semi-finals, where they will face Argentina. However, Haaland had a lackluster performance throughout the match, making few notable contributions.
talkSPORT points out that Haaland not only barely touched the ball, but also didn't seem to be at his best. His Manchester City teammates Stones and Gueye, who expected a fierce battle from Haaland, faced only limited impact.
The article states that when Norway were leading 1-0, Haaland was annoyed by Thabo Selot's decision not to pass the ball, as the latter failed to cross it to him in the penalty area. However, it seems that what truly affected Haaland was not his teammates' poor ball handling, but rather his viral infection.
Cascarino said on the World Cup Weekend Show: "No, I only found out last night. I received a message at halftime saying that Haaland seemed to be feeling unwell."
"He said he was also a bit sick, caused by an infection. Obviously, the head coach also mentioned physical issues, and he did look unwell."
"No matter what we say, he wasn't feeling well. He was substituted, and later they said it wasn't an injury. So I guess the situation is what I just said, he wasn't feeling well. Yes, he wasn't feeling well. He wasn't feeling well before the game."
"Although he doesn't usually touch the ball that many times, I was still surprised by how lacking in energy he was today. Neither he nor Thelott seemed to have any drive, and Haaland looked simply..."
"When I saw him after the game, I was thinking, 'Well, what I heard at halftime—I confirmed with someone who should know the situation—he said he was already feeling unwell, and he really was feeling unwell.'"
After the match, Norwegian coach Solbakken admitted that although Haaland had already had outstanding performances in the tournament, it was not difficult to substitute him.
Solbakken said after the match: "It wasn't a difficult decision to substitute him because he was already exhausted. Maybe I should have substituted him 10 minutes earlier."
"Obviously, he has performed exceptionally well in this World Cup, playing one game after another, exhausting all his energy and strength. I think he also suffered a thigh impact in the second half, which combined with fatigue."
“But he did his best. I think he was a bit unlucky a few times. But he scored 7 goals for us in 5 games. His World Cup performance was outstanding.”
