Norway's World Cup preparations have been disrupted by a sickness bug, with team doctor reportedly 'very busy' dealing with the outbreak, just days before their quarter-final clash against England. Meanwhile, England midfielder Jordan Henderson has issued a health update after undergoing wrist surgery following a freak injury sustained during celebrations after the Mexico match.
Norway Sickness Bug Raises Concerns
Norway's goalkeeper Orjan Nyland confirmed that the team has been affected by illness, telling James Corden: 'I can confirm that it's true, we've had our issues, we're doing the best we can and the team doctor is very busy at the moment. I have no idea what the source was, we did have some time off so maybe someone contracted something.'
Norwegian outlet Dagbladet reported that fatigue and illness have disrupted the nation's preparations, with the squad's extensive travel across North America potentially taking its toll. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Norwegians have travelled back and forth to Boston, New Jersey, and Dallas during the tournament.
Norway earned their spot in the quarter-finals with a confident 2-1 win over Brazil, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scoring twice. Haaland has seven goals in his debut World Cup, averaging a goal every 14 touches and converting 39% of his shots. He has scored in each of his past 14 competitive appearances for Norway, netting 27 goals in that run.
Jordan Henderson Issues Health Update
Jordan Henderson has shared a picture with the medical staff who treated him after his wrist surgery. The England international broke his wrist in a freak incident after the Three Lions beat Mexico, when he lost his grip while trying to vault an advertising board. The Brentford ace required surgery at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute.
Henderson wrote on social media: 'Surgery done! Let's get ready for the big one Saturday. Thank you to all the staff that looked after me at Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute. Especially the three surgeons who carried out the operation: Dr. Kenneth P. Unruh, Dr. Mark J Winston, Dr. Kirk McCullough.'
His father, Brian, revealed the extent of the injury to Mail Online, saying: 'It's his left forearm - he's just completely smashed it. He's going to have a cast on and then it depends on what the experts say. He won't be leaving his team-mates. He'll be there until it's finished.'
Egypt Star Claims Argentina Win Was Rigged
Egypt star Mostafa Ziko has claimed that his nation's 3-2 loss to Argentina was rigged, with the reigning world champions scoring three goals in the final 15 minutes to overturn a 2-0 deficit. Ziko, who scored Egypt's second goal, did not hold back in his assessment of the officials.
He said: 'It was a rigged game. It wasn't our fault. That referee… it seems like this match was rigged. We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming at us. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems.'
Egypt had a goal ruled out by VAR after an apparent foul on Nicolas Tagliafico, and they were also furious at the decision not to award a penalty in the build-up to Argentina's winning goal. The Egyptian Football Association has submitted a formal complaint to FIFA, according to Diario AS.
FIFA Issues Bans Amid Controversy
FIFA quietly issued two new bans for US men's national team officials following Monday's 4-1 defeat to Belgium, a move branded a 'disgrace' by Wayne Rooney. The bans were overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun, who was permitted to play despite a dispute.
Belgium's victory was witnessed by a record television audience, with FOX Sports confirming it was the most-watched football broadcast in US history, drawing over 30 million viewers.
England's Preparations and Squad News
England players enjoyed downtime at their Kansas City hotel after their win over Mexico, with Ed Sheeran performing a private gig for the squad. Thomas Tuchel faces a suspension headache, with Jude Bellingham, Nico O'Reilly, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi all one yellow card away from a ban. Jarell Quansah and Jordan Henderson are already ruled out of the quarter-final due to injury.
Harry Kane, who has six goals in the tournament, said after the Mexico win: 'The connection with everyone is even stronger now and we feel that more than ever. We recover now, we calm down, we have a couple of days relaxing and then obviously get prepared for a massive quarter-final.'
Quarter-Final Schedule
The quarter-finals begin on Thursday, July 9, with France vs Morocco at 9pm UK time. On Friday, Spain faces Belgium at 8pm. England vs Norway kicks off at 10pm on Saturday, July 11, at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. The final quarter-final sees Argentina take on Switzerland at 2am on Sunday, July 12.
The race for the Golden Boot is led by Lionel Messi with eight goals, followed by Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe on seven, and Harry Kane on six.
