Key events<\/p>\n
26 min: Kex and Plopp, though!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n 25 min: Thomas Tuchel gives England<\/a> some beneficial tactical advice in a frenzied style.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 24 min: \u2026 it\u2019s drinks. And snacks? Yes snacks! Norway<\/a> take care of first-quarter duties, and offer some beer, to help wash down some chocolate-covered savoury corn snacks. (Your regular reminder that Smash! is nowhere near as good a confectionary brand name as Sweden\u2019s Kex or Plopp.)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23 min: O\u2019Reilly dinks a cross in from the left. Too long, but Madueke recycles on the right and pearls a shot-cum-cross through the six-yard box. Any touch and it\u2019s in. But the only nearby white shirt is O\u2019Reilly, wide left of goal. The ball hits him and looks to be squirting out for a goal kick, but Heggem is taking no chances and hooks out for a throw. But before that can be taken \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 22 min: O\u2019Reilly crosses from the left. Norway<\/a> allow the ball to bounce in their area twice, an egregious error, but they get away with it, Madueke standing in pretty much the only place he can\u2019t connect.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min: Both teams almost grind to a halt. The heat beginning to kick in.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min: England<\/a> are beginning to press Norway back. Gordon is seeing a lot of the ball down the left. He feeds Anderson, who crosses low, dangerously so. Bellingham swings a leg at the ball on the penalty spot, but doesn\u2019t connect. The ball sails out for a goal kick.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 17 min: Gordon drops deep on the left and sends an inswinger into the box. Ajer heads clear with Madueke lurking behind, waiting to connect.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 16 min: Gordon turns on the jets and nearly gets past Ryerson. He settles for a corner, which Rice saunters over to take. Rice\u2019s delivery is beyond awful, though, flat and straight at the first man, who hoicks clear.<\/p>\n Anthony Gordon takes on Julian Ryerson. Photograph: Ronald Wittek\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.20 EDT<\/p>\n 14 min: \u2026 and now England<\/a> have their turn. Energy conservation is the order of the day.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 13 min: Norway<\/a> keep on keep-balling. The crowd amuse themselves with the first Viking Row of the day. Clap stomp clap.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min: Norway<\/a> play some keep-ball at the back, just as they did for long stretches against Brazil.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 11 min: Madueke caught offside again. This isn\u2019t going to go down well with Tommy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10 min: Sorloth probes down the right but there\u2019s no way past O\u2019Reilly. Norway<\/a> beginning to show a bit in attack. \u201cI have a tech support comment,\u201d begins Peter Oh, unpromisingly, let\u2019s be honest, but stick with it. \u201cHow many assistants with tablet computers does it take to manage a bloody soccer match these days? I\u2019m starting to wonder if \u2018It\u2019s Coming Home\u2019 isn\u2019t actually \u2018IT is Coming Home\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min: A ball worked into the England<\/a> box from the left by Schjelderup. Haaland tries to cushion the ball into the path of Sorloth, but England clear. Both teams looking lively.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7 min: Anderson sprays a diagonal to Madueke on the right. Madueke prepares to take on Schjelderup, but he\u2019s been caught offside and up goes the flag. On the touchline, Tuchel throws a minor tanty at his winger\u2019s inability to look along the line.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 6 min: Sorloth dribbles in from the right and nearly releases Haaland down the middle \u2026 but Stones has read the danger well, stepping in to intercept his pass.<\/p>\n John Stones smartly reads the run of Erling Haaland to snuff out the danger. Photograph: Nick Potts\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.14 EDT<\/p>\n 5 min: Kane drops deep and looks long for Bellingham down the middle. The pass is overhit and Nyland is able to come to the edge of his box to collect.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4 min: England<\/a> are enjoying the (three) lions\u2019 share of possession in these early exchanges. Exactly what Thomas Tuchel wanted, as per his pre-match interview.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2 min: It\u2019s now 34 degrees centigrade, with a feel of 42C in the stadium. According to ITV. England<\/a> are the first to show in attack, Madueke romping down the right before hoicking a wild cross behind for a goal kick.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Norway get the ball rolling. A fine atmosphere in Miami. \u201cAs much as I love England<\/a> and want us to win the Cup, THE Cup, as a lifelong Manchester City fan I\u2019d laugh my socks and pants off if we go down to an Erling Haaland hat-trick,\u201d writes Ewen Atkinson. \u201cI therefore feel zero angst about this England game, which makes a pleasant change.\u201d<\/p>\n Here we go! Photograph: Marco Bello\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.07 EDT<\/p>\n Before kick-off, a moment of silent reflection in honour of Jayden Adams, who played in South Africa\u2019s three group games at the World Cup<\/a> just last month. Perfectly observed. Sleep well, Jayden.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Incidentally, while we\u2019re on the subject of obnoxious music, you don\u2019t gotta hand it to ITV, who have been funnelling Life Is A Highway into our ears every five minutes during the tournament. So I take it as an official apology that they\u2019ve just used the wonderful Lost Weekend by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions as incidental music. Co-written by our erstwhile golf correspondent Lawrence Donegan, if my memory of the Easy Pieces inner sleeve serves correctly. We might need to revisit the middle eight later, incidentally \u2026<\/p>\n double quotation markThere\u2019s nobody else to blame Share<\/a><\/p>\n The teams are out! England<\/a> in white, led by a stern-looking Harry Kane; Norway, who will wear red, by an equally serious Martin Odegaard \u2026 though of course Erling Haaland, last in line, wears a look of detached amusement. Anthems to be sung, after which you can turn the volume on your TV set back up. We\u2019ll be off in a few minutes!<\/p>\n Photograph: Crist\u00f3bal Herrera\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.58 EDT<\/p>\n Pre-match postbag: the tying-up of threads. \u201cWe (there may be exceptions) want England<\/a> to win, so let\u2019s get that out the way. Question is, if they\u2019re to lose, who is it better to lose to? Lose here, and it feels like losing a Premier League game, say between the second and third in the table, a point behind the leaders with three weeks to go. Pretty awful, but \u2013 depending on exactly how it happened – familiar and understandable. Lose by two goals against Messi\u2019s Argentina, and that\u2019s nearly a final, so there\u2019s the horror of all the what-ifs that go along with that, plus seething resentment that it\u2019ll all be about the great man. France in the final (probably)? Somehow that\u2019s not computing yet, but there\u2019s something numbing about it in prospect. May be a Gallic shrug of the shoulders, in homage?\u201d \u2013 Charles Antaki<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a bit of talk up here about how a lot of Scots seem to root only for whoever happens to be playing England. It\u2019s not strictly true. My new kitten Miguel Thor is not that fussed and just wants a good game of football. His brothers Diego, Carlos and Louis are the same. May the best team win\u201d \u2013 Simon McMahon<\/p>\n \u201cWoah woah woah. While Graham Taylor\u2019s treatment by the press was obviously vile, let\u2019s not rewrite history. He flat out refused to pick Waddle or Beardsley despite their scintillating club form and gave the impression he only picked Gascoigne under duress. He was comfortable playing the way he did at Villa, lumping the ball up so a tall striker could head it down to David Platt. Apart from the nadir of Capello, it\u2019s the ugliest football England has ever played, and El Tel was a breath of fresh air the minute he came in\u201d \u2013 Rob, London<\/p>\n \u201cOver hearing about the heat. We have prepared as best we can. Also played in a winter World Cup<\/a> in 2010 and we underperformed\u201d \u2013 Kyle Green<\/p>\n \u201cI will carry on booing the hydration breaks thank you very much! Yes they are needed for conditions like this, most people would agree. What I struggle to see is how this rule does need to apply evenly. The two teams impacted by the heat are given the same break and can gain the same advantage, it doesn\u2019t impact any other match or any other result. Given the FA, loathe as I am to credit them, currently allow for cooling breaks at the referees discretion, clearly they think it doesn\u2019t need to apply evenly\u201d \u2013 David Meakins<\/p>\n \u201cThat golf game made me change my allegiance to Norway<\/a>. Et tu Kane?\u201d \u2013 krishnamoorthy v<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ellie Goulding latest: \u201cEllie is performing a song now!\u201d reports David Hytner. \u201cSo God knows whether she\u2019s on again at HT. This is what she said on her socials earlier: \u2018Performing at half-time for England<\/a> vs Norway has me feeling like truly anything could happen\u2026\u2019 \u201d From this we can conclude: NFL > Fifa. You didn\u2019t get this sort of confusion with Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Argentina legend Ratt\u00edn dies at 84<\/p>\n Some sad news to bring you: Antonio Ratt\u00edn has died at the age of 84. Ratt\u00edn won six league titles with Boca Juniors, though he\u2019s best remembered for his defiant reaction to being sent off against England at Wembley in the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup. For those unfamiliar with the tale, this is a brilliant potted history from an old Joy of Six<\/a>, courtesy of the great Barney Ronay. Rest well, Antonio.<\/p>\n Still contentious, still vaguely puzzling and still seen as no more than the silver medal controversy of England\u2019s winning run in 1966 (overshadowed by the brouhaha of Geoff Hurst\u2019s second goal in the final). The sending off of the Argentina captain Antonio Rattin during his team\u2019s quarter-final against England has since been woven into the sporting sub-plot of intercontinental rivalry. More simply, it was a baffling decision; and something of a mini-tragedy in that it robbed that tournament of what might have been one of its outstanding matches.<\/p>\n It was already a feisty game when, 35 minutes in, the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein abruptly ordered Rattin from the field for reasons that remain unclear. Kreitlein later pointed to \u201cviolence of the tongue\u201d, the implication being that Rattin, with whom he did not share a language, had been swearing at him (the language point is a little disingenuous: abuse is generally quite easy to pick up in any tongue). Kreitlein didn\u2019t help himself by later adding that he \u201cdid not like the look\u201d on Rattin\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Certainly the look on Rattin\u2019s face as he leaves the field still makes for a compelling tableau: there he goes, looking back, cursing, clenching his fists, asking coaching staff for an interpreter to make his case, almost coming back on to the pitch at one point, and gently wiping his hands on a union flag pennant, drawing V-signs and straight-arm type gestures from the home crowd.<\/p>\n This was a tragedy for Rattin, but also a great shame for the tournament. The BBC commentary on the game describes him at the toss as \u201cAntonio Rattin, one of the greatest players in the world\u201d. George Cohen later claimed Argentina were probably the best team England played at the tournament: \u201cThey were a very, very good technical side. If they hadn\u2019t resorted to all the physical stuff they might well have beaten us. We saw how good they were when we played them in 1964 [when England were beaten 1-0 in Brazil].\u201d<\/p>\n And still nobody really knows what it was all about. Cohen suggested Rattin was sent off for \u201ctrying to run the game\u201d, specifically for opening up an abrasive player-ref dialogue that was, by all reports, quite alien in western European football culture at the time. Among English observers there is a prevailing truism that Argentina had played dirtily. The statistics suggest otherwise: Argentina committed 19 fouls to England\u2019s 33. Cohen, for his part, noted the opposition\u2019s mastery of \u201cthe snidey things, the spitting and pulling the short hairs on your neck, pulling your ear\u201d.<\/p>\n Rattin\u2019s view: \u201cBoth sides were giving as good as they got. We were not the size of Chinamen, we were big players, but England had some tough characters like Nobby Stiles. The sending-off should never have happened and it wouldn\u2019t have done if I could speak a word of German. All I wanted to do was talk to the referee, but the next thing I knew he was pointing off the pitch. \u2018Quiero a un interprete (I want an interpreter).\u2019 I must have said it 20 or 30 times, pointing to my armband.\u201d<\/p>\n Kreitlein pointed to the dressing rooms. Rattin lingered, infuriated, the match was decided by Geoff Hurst\u2019s second-half header, and a World Cup classic that might have been wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Argentina captain Antonio Rattin during the 1966 World Cup. Photograph: Mirrorpix\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.40 EDT<\/p>\n A peek inside the England dressing room. Three Lions: the sadness in their eyes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hear the roar. Photograph: Eddie Keogh\/The FA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n England vibes man Jordan Henderson \u2013 who is technically on a booking tonight and in danger of missing the semis, but, well, y\u2019know<\/a> \u2013 talks to ITV. \u201c[My wrist] is alright thanks. [Smiles broadly if a bit sheepishly] Not me finest hour, I know! \u2026 the main job was to go there and win and progress to the quarter-final, and we managed to do that, so that\u2019s the main thing \u2026 a tough couple of days \u2026 the doctors and surgeons in Kansas were amazing \u2026 just delighted to be part of the squad again today \u2026 we showed character [against Mexico] and we\u2019ll have to do the same against a very good Norwegian side \u2026 good players \u2026 a tough test \u2026 if we\u2019re the best version of ourselves, I\u2019m confident we\u2019ll go through.\u201d<\/p>\n And could he be fit for a potential semi-final or final? He laughs. \u201cWe\u2019ll cross that bridge when we come to it!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A dispatch from our man Ed Aarons in Miami.<\/p>\n double quotation markThere\u2019s lots of local supporters at the game who have decided to pick sides now that the hosts are out. I just bumped into a giant Mexico fan who has thrown his considerable weight behind Norway after his team was eliminated by England in the last round. He definitely looks the part anyway! Can almost imagine him leading the line with Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth.<\/p>\n Mexico\u2019s biggest Norway fan. Photograph: Ed AaronsShare<\/a><\/p>\n Pre-match postbag: the conditions. \u201cSilly hydration breaks eh, let\u2019s all boo vociferously. Get over it and grow up! (Not you specifically, Scott, just the increasingly vocal and ill-advised majority who think heatstroke is something you get after the tenth pint in Magaluf.) If the rules apply for one game they have to apply for every game, regardless of whether it\u2019s a rainy night in the North-east or a potentially life-threatening match in Miami. Yes, we all agree the breaks have been completely and cynically commercialised (quelle surprise), but they are obviously necessary in games like this\u201d \u2013 Julian Menz<\/p>\n \u201cI hope England<\/a> trained for the absurd heat by playing walking football\u201d \u2013 Ian Copestake<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems they calculate \u2018feels like\u2019 differently in the USA. A Canadian \u2018humidex\u2019 calculator is frightening. It says 33C at 71% RH: the Humidex is: 47 (117F). Only medically supervised work can continue. They\u2019ll need a water break every five minutes – think of the ad revenue! Seriously, that sounds dangerous\u201d \u2013 Nigel in balmy 27C Toronto<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Thomas Tuchel talks to ITV. \u201cI hope [the players] feel good \u2026 I hope they feel prepared \u2026 now it\u2019s their moment \u2026 they know everything \u2026 it\u2019s time to let go and release our energy and give it a go \u2026 we need to play with freedom \u2026 all-in \u2026 that is what a quarter-final is for \u2026 Reece James is available but maybe not for 90 minutes \u2026 I\u2019d like to have him as an option from the bench \u2026 the goal is to stop their front line \u2026 height and physicality \u2026 we want to be strong from set pieces \u2026 we have a strong bench to finish the match off \u2026 spend more time in the opponent\u2019s half \u2026 especially in these conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pre-match postbag: Harry and Don. \u201cIn light of today\u2019s revelations about his golfing partners while Stateside, does Harry Kane\u2019s lucky mulligan for the penalty retake in England\u2019s opener against Croatia now not look very suspicious??? Of course it doesn\u2019t, but hey, let\u2019s get the excuses in early, in case England<\/a> go and win the whole bloody thing!\u201d \u2013 Justin Kavanagh<\/p>\n \u201cTrump is a man who has been found in a civil court case to have sexually abused E Jean Carroll (and has been accused of sexual abuse by numerous other women). As President of the United States, his record is demonising immigrants, carrying out illegal wars, tearing up environmental protections and overseas aid, and prioritising the interests of the super rich over those of anyone else. Choosing to play golf with him is a political choice\u201d \u2013 Corin Metcalfe<\/p>\n \u201cIf Bellingham gets a yellow, Kane only has to call on his mate Orange\u201d \u2013 Ian Copestake<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n England make two changes to the team that started against Mexico. Ezri Konsa takes the troubled right-back spot off the suspended Jarell Quansah, making room for John Stones in the centre of defence. In attack, Noni Madueke starts on the right ahead of Bukayo Saka. Jordan Pickford makes his 18th World Cup<\/a> appearance, breaking a record jointly held with Peter Shilton for most games played \u2060at the finals.<\/p>\n Ezri Konsa<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.57 EDT<\/p>\n Norway make one change to their starting XI following the win over Brazil. Andreas Schjelderup, who set up both goals on Sunday, replaces Antonio Nusa, the only player in the Norway<\/a> squad on a booking.<\/p>\n Andreas Schjelderup<\/a>Share<\/a>The teams<\/p>\n Norway: Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe, Odegaard, Berge, Berg, Sorloth, Haaland, Schjelderup. England: Pickford, Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O\u2019Reilly, Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane. Referee: Clement Turpin (France).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.42 EDT<\/p>\n Pre-match postbag: the Taylor letters. \u201cWith you 100% about Graham Taylor. He seemed out of his depth at the time but I think history has shown that he did the best he could what he was given. Of the three years he was in charge, he was without Paul Gascoigne for a good half of that time, he lost John Barnes in the \u201894 qualifiers lost Barnes to injury in the 94 qualifiers, had a lot of the Italia 90 team retire – Bryan Robson, Peter Shilton, Terry Butcher – or on their way out- Gary Lineker, Chris Waddle etc. Any fans moaning about whatever may happen later tonight would do good to remember an England<\/a> midfield once consisting of Andy Sinton, Carlton Palmer, Tony Daley and David Batty. RIP Graham\u201d \u2013 Dave Estherby<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2012, I saw Graham Taylor at Oslo airport. As he was walking to his flight, dozens of England fans showed enormous, genuine affection for him, and he responded graciously and generously. A great man. His travelling companion, Alan Green, had been disturbing everyone in the business class lounge by reading his contract out loud line-by-line and moaning\u201d \u2013 Andrew Goudie<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Feeling stressed ahead of kick-off? Good! What would the point of any of this be, if you simply didn\u2019t care? Just thank your lucky stars you\u2019re not lining up in the tunnel, waiting, contemplating, anticipating, possibly hyperventilating. Some players deal with this sort of thing better than others. Look!<\/p>\n \u2026 and while we\u2019re on the subject of photo galleries, this exercise in slit-scanning \u2013 a process which has a longer and more varied history in sports photography than you may imagine \u2013 is great fun as well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n You won\u2019t need reminding that tonight\u2019s game could go to extra time and penalty kicks. So if it indeed goes all the way, what on earth should Harry Kane do if he wins the toss? Mo Salah has the answer \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n England have four players walking the disciplinary tightrope this evening. Jude Bellingham was booked against DR Congo, while Marc Guehi, Nico O\u2019Reilly and Declan Rice were all cautioned against Mexico. A yellow card for any of them tonight, and they\u2019ll miss the semi-final should England<\/a> get through. Norway have only one player on a yellow in winger Antonio Nusa. (Yellow cards were wiped at the start of the knockouts, and will be again after the quarters.)<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Early team news: Konsa at right-back, Madueke for Saka<\/p>\n Some early England<\/a> team news from David Hytner.<\/p>\n double quotation markThomas Tuchel is ready to play Ezri Konsa at right-back, with Reece James still not fully fit. John Stones is expected to come into central defence. On the right wing, it is set to be Noni Madueke rather than Bukayo Saka, who continues to struggle for 100 percent fitness.<\/p>\n Ezri Konsa comes in as the latest England right back. Photograph: Eddie Keogh\/The FA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.07 EDT<\/p>\n Uefa have been throwing ersatz Super Bowl shapes at the Champions League final for a few years, and now Fifa are getting in on the act. Ellie Goulding, a big England<\/a> fan, will perform a half-time show this evening. Not sure how long that\u2019s scheduled to last. Factor in the hydration breaks and we could be here quite a while. \u201cIt\u2019s a precursor to what will come at the final maybe,\u201d deadpans David Hytner, upon breaking all of this news to me. \u201cGetting everyone ready for the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n England have got a pretty good goalscorer of their own, of course. Harry Kane saw the Three Lions through the group easily enough with two against Croatia<\/a> and the clincher against Panama<\/a> (and the less said about the other game<\/a> the better) \u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 then in the knockouts, that goal against the DR Congo<\/a> and another at the Azteca<\/a>. It\u2019s been a campaign of fits and bursts really, but England are becoming masters of tournament football, and getting the job done. Another deep run is on.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.49 EDT<\/p>\n Norway\u2019s progress has been \u2013 this is not breaking news – all about Erling Haaland. Two goals against Iraq<\/a>. Another brace against Senegal<\/a>. A nice rest while the B team got some minutes against France<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then in the knockouts, Haaland notched a late winner against C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/a>, before sending Norwegian bunnies Brazil out of the competition in swashbuckling style<\/a>. If Erling\u2019s on one, all bets are off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So how did we all get here? To tell the story properly, let\u2019s go back to the beginning and reacquaint ourselves with both squads. In truth, not too much has changed since then \u2026 other than we\u2019d need to crowbar in a bit about golf<\/a> at the end of the England page. Oh Harry.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some more on the conditions \u2026 courtesy of David Hytner, our man live from the coal face.<\/p>\n double quotation markTell you what Scott, it\u2019s crazy hot inside the stadium. Myself, Barney Ronay and Ed Aarons have just set up in the press box, sat at our seats for five minutes and we\u2019re all dripping in sweat. Imagine playing in this. The temperature at the moment is 33C. The real feel is 42C. According to Ed\u2019s app, the humidity is 71pc.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.27 EDT<\/p>\n Weather report.<\/a> It\u2019s currently 33C (91F) in Miami, and not expected to get any cooler come kick-off time. Once humidity is factored in, it\u2019s likely to feel around 41C (106F). Phew, what a scorcher, etc. Will that give Norway an advantage? They played Brazil under 31C sun in New Jersey last weekend; the most extreme weather England have dealt with so far has been a 25C ramble under cloud, also in New Jersey, against Panama. So it\u2019s a toss-up between experience and fatigue levels: you decide, and the truth will out. The conditions aren\u2019t expected to exceed Fifa guidelines, so there\u2019s no chance of the game being called off \u2026 but there could be a weather delay should lightning strike within eight miles of Miami Stadium, in which case it\u2019s a 30-minute postponement, the countdown clock reset every time there\u2019s more electrical activity. But for now, fingers crossed for 5pm local time\/10pm BST\/7am AEST \u2026 and stay hydrated all y\u2019all.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n England won their first five games against Norway, between 1937 and 1980, to the cumulative score of 24-2. No wonder, then, that the commentator Bj\u00f8rge Lillelien went off on one like he did when Norway eventually chalked up their first victory against the Three Lions in September 1981. And if you haven\u2019t yet read Lars Sivertsen\u2019s entertaining account of that famous rant, right that wrong immediately!<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a lot closer between the two nations since then. In six subsequent meetings, England are two wins to one up with three draws, but it\u2019s Norway\u2019s sole victory that lingers longest in the memory: Oslo 1993, and a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win that marked the beginning of the end for poor old Graham Taylor. The famous yelps of \u201cDo I not like that!\u201d and \u201cCan we not knock it?!\u201d came earlier in that ill-fated campaign against Poland, but Phil Neal stole the show in Oslo with his spot-on impersonation of a lyrebird<\/a>, while Taylor himself delivered a couple of off-screen \u201caw fucking hell\u201ds that were a masterclass in comic timing and bathos. He was a good man, Graham; time\u2019s been kind.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a quotable feast through the years, so here\u2019s to some more freestyle effin\u2019 and jeffin\u2019 tonight. All of the ingredients are ripe for choice comment: Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are scoring goals for fun; Arsenal\u2019s title-winning generals, Declan Rice and Martin \u00d8degaard, will face off in midfield; and it\u2019s going to be real hot in Miami. Both of these teams harbour genuine hopes of going all the way in this tournament, so here\u2019s to a (no-doubt-fraught) classic. Good luck everyone, may the best team hand out one hell of a beating. Kick-off is at 5pm local time\/10pm BST\/7am AEST. It\u2019s on! Can you hear me?!? It\u2019s on!!!!!<\/p>\n
I hang my head in a crying shame
There is nobody else to blame
Nobody else except my sweet self<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Subs: Tangvik, Selvik, Thorsby, Ostigard, Larsen, Aursnes, Bjorkan, Pedersen, Thorstvedt, Aasgaard, Bobb, Hauge, Langas, Falchener, Nusa.<\/p>\n
Subs: Dean Henderson, Trafford, Rashford, Chalobah, Burn, Mainoo, Rogers, Watkins, Eze, Toney, James, Jordan Henderson, Saka, Spence.<\/p>\n