Miami, Florida — England captain Harry Kane has labelled Erling Haaland “a machine” and “a beast” as the two prolific strikers prepare to face off in a blockbuster World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, with a semifinal spot on the line.
The Bayern Munich striker, who has 14 World Cup goals to his name, will go head-to-head with Norway’s Manchester City sensation, who has netted seven times in his first four matches at a major tournament — including a devastating double that eliminated five-time champions Brazil in the Round of 16.
“I think we’re completely different players. I know we’re both strikers, but we’re in almost two different positions,” Kane told his pre-match news conference on Friday.
“Erling is incredible. His goalscoring record, physically, he’s a machine, he’s a beast. His finishing is at the highest level, and his goalscoring record speaks for itself.”
Golden Boot race heats up
Despite their phenomenal form, both Kane and Haaland trail Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have each scored eight times in the tournament, in the race for the Golden Boot.
Kane, who won the prize for the World Cup’s top goalscorer in 2018, insists his primary focus remains on ending England’s 60-year wait for a major trophy rather than individual accolades.
“I think it’s been an amazing World Cup on that front in terms of all the top strikers, all the top goalscorers scoring goals and affecting games. It’s not always the case at these major tournaments,” said the 32-year-old.
“My main goal is to win the World Cup more than another Golden Boot, but I also know I’m a goalscorer, I’m the number nine, so if I’m scoring goals, it’s obviously going to help the team.”
Kane issued a rallying cry for one final push, with England potentially facing three games in eight days to make history.
“Ultimately, until we win that trophy, there’s always going to be that talk around England and the team, but we’re in a good position. We’re in a place that we wanted to be six weeks ago when we met up for prep camp,” he added.
“Now we’re in the final eight days of the final push. We’re going to need everyone to be at the highest level to achieve our dreams.”
Norway riding wave of history
Norway coach Stale Solbakken acknowledged that the showdown between the two superstar strikers would go a long way in deciding the match.
“I think it’s Norway versus England, but I don’t think it is a secret that Kane is the match winner number one for England and Haaland is the match winner number one for us,” Solbakken said at his pre-match news conference.
Norway are competing in their first major tournament of any kind for 26 years and have already exceeded expectations, with their Viking row celebration becoming one of the iconic images of the tournament.
“Every game has been the most important [in history] for Norwegian football, especially in the knockout rounds, so this is the third time it is the most important game,” Solbakken added.
“I think England has more pressure than us, but we also put pressure on our performance. When the game has started, I don’t think the players think so much about the pressure when it’s 11 versus 11.”
‘Maybe this will never come back’
The Norwegian coach admitted the team’s run had captured the imagination of the nation and beyond.
“I think the whole of Norway is looking forward to tomorrow. We’ve had some great nights in this World Cup before, and it brings the country together,” said Solbakken.
“Maybe this will never come back to Norway because I think we will qualify more. Every time [now] we have a possibility to go through to a European Championship or a World Cup. But now it’s 26 years since we had it last time.”
The match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium kicks off at 10:00 PM local time, with the winner set to face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals.