Club loyalties will be set aside in Miami as Martin Odegaard’s resilient Norway battle it out against Bukayo Saka and England’s Arsenal-heavy squad for a high-stakes spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Up to five Arsenal players could take the pitch on Saturday 11th July with it being confirmed that England will be facing off against Norway in Miami for a place in the World Cup semi-final after both sides battled hard against tough opposition to book their places in the Quarter-Finals.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke & Ebere Eze of England and Martin Odegaard of Norway will all be facing off this weekend which could see all five of the Arsenal men on the biggest stage in the world at some point in the same evening.
Martin Odegaard led Norway to a famous 2-1 victory over Brazil spearheaded by talisman Erling Haaland, who netted two late on to knock Gabriel Magalhaes & Gabriel Martinelli out of the tournament on one of the most memorable nights in Norwegian football history in New York. Despite not finding the net or registering an assist, Odegaard put in a good performance in the Norway midfield, creating 1 big chance, having 1 shot on target and completing 101/109 passes (93%). Many had written Norway off due to the perceived miss-match of quality in certain areas of the pitch, but the Norwegians led by Odegaard, took their chances when they came and despite a late penalty from Neymar Jr, kept their record of being the only side to have never lost to Brazil in the history of football intact. (3 wins & 2 draws)
Martin Odegaard & Erling Haaland lead the Norwegian 'viking row' celebration after a shock 2-1 victory over Brazil to book a quarterfinal spot (Reuters)Coming up against Odegaard & Co. will be Tuchel’s England, who overcame all the odds and adversity to register a simply magical win in the sporting cauldron of the Azteca in Mexico City. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka started one of the most memorable nights in England World Cup history, which ended in a 2-3 victory for the Three Lions. Bukayo Saka, who was eventually the man to be sacrificed after Jarell Quansah’s red card, provided the opening assist with a lovely dinked ball to the back post which was met by the head of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. Arsenal’s star boy has been subject to limited minutes, playing just over 190 of the 450+ minutes that England have played at the tournament so far. Despite this, the 24 year old has registered the third most assists in the tournament, sitting level with his club captain Martin Odegaard, whom he will be facing off against this coming Saturday.
Bukayo Saka and England captain Harry Kane celebrate at Full Time after England register a memorable 2-3 win at The Azteca against Mexico (Reuters)Five of the Arsenal contingent have been knocked out of the competition so far, with Kai Havertz (Germany) Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden) Gabriel Magalhaes (Brazil) Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil) Piero Hincapie (Ecuador) all registering early exits. William Saliba (France) joins Rice, Saka, Eze, Madueke and Odegaard in the Quarter Finals. David Raya, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino battle it out this evening at 9:00pm UK time against neighbours Portugal whilst Leandro Trossard and Belgium have a meeting with co-hosts USA to complete the lineup for the Quarter-Finals.
Although it is not quite guaranteed with the tournament continuing to take shape, Arsenal are one step closer to having a guaranteed World Cup winner walking back through the doors at London Colney in August ahead of the start of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
