Norway Hit by Flu Ahead of Quarter-Finals, Coach Cites Air Conditioning and Travel

2026 World Cup Key News

(CNA Miami, July 8, Comprehensive Foreign News) Norway is set to face England in the World Cup quarter-finals on July 12th, Taiwan time. However, the "Viking" squad has recently seen a continuous emergence of symptoms such as coughing within the team.

According to The Telegraph, as of now, two players from the Norwegian national team, who have reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history, have missed matches due to illness. First, Jorgen Strand Larsen fell ill and missed the opening group stage match against Iraq, followed by Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, who was unwell and missed the Round of 16 match against Brazil.

Norwegian head coach Stale Solbakken confirmed that more than 50 players and staff accompanying the team have been experiencing symptoms of "coughing and hoarseness."

Even he himself showed noticeable coughing symptoms at the press conference after the team's final group stage loss to France.

Norwegian media "Dagbladet" reported that regarding the team's cold situation, Solbakken explained that only Larsen had a fever; coughing and hoarseness were sporadically appearing within the team. He said, "There is air conditioning here, airplanes, changing rooms, etc. We have over 50 people, so it would be strange if no one had any issues."

Despite the shadow of the cold virus looming over the team, Solbakken allowed the entire squad a night off after their 2-1 victory over Brazil in the Round of 16. He was photographed telling star striker Erling Haaland in the players' lounge, "You can go out and celebrate tonight."

Fortunately, Haaland, who is aiming for the World Cup Golden Boot, has not reported any issues. Born in Leeds, England, Haaland is currently tied with Lionel Messi of Argentina and Kylian Mbappe of France at the top of the scoring charts with 7 goals.

This World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Solbakken believes that the team having to move between different host cities after matches is the reason for this wave of illnesses affecting multiple players.

On the other hand, England, after a narrow 3-2 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16 yesterday, is taking advantage of the break to rest and prepare for the quarter-final match kicking off on the evening of the 11th in Miami, Florida (12th Taiwan time).

England is striving to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2018, while Norway hopes to continue its surprising journey in this tournament.

Solbakken said, "We need to study England thoroughly. We have certainly watched their matches in this tournament, and they are a very strong team. Hopefully, it will be a very intense and evenly matched game." (Compiled by Tsai Chia-min) 1150708

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