John Terry has warned that England must stop Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard to keep their World Cup dreams alive, as the Three Lions prepare for a quarter-final clash with Norway. The former England and Chelsea captain told Piers Morgan Uncensored that Odegaard is central to everything Norway do well and that nullifying him, along with Erling Haaland, is key to England's success.
England's dramatic win over Mexico
England booked their quarter-final place with an unforgettable 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca stadium, located 7,000 feet above sea level. Jude Bellingham scored twice, and Harry Kane converted a penalty. The win was made more extraordinary by Jarell Quansah's sending-off shortly after the restart, forcing Thomas Tuchel's men to withstand a barrage of attacks.
Terry described the performance as 'enormous' and second only to England's 5-1 win over Germany in his lifetime. 'I thought it was an unbelievable performance,' he said. 'Individuals were excellent, the tempo was excellent, and the manager deserved an awful lot of credit.'
Norway's threat: Odegaard and Haaland
Norway, competing in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, boast Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal's Martin Odegaard. Haaland has scored seven goals in four appearances, level with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts. Terry was particularly impressed by Odegaard's impact in Norway's 2-1 victory over Brazil.
'Everything that goes well through that team goes through Martin Odegaard,' Terry said. 'If England stop him and Erling Haaland, then we have a big, big chance.'
Advice for England's defenders
Terry offered advice for England's centre-backs, including Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa, on how to handle Haaland. He pointed to Gabriel Magalhaes' questionable defending in a recent match as a lesson. 'As soon as that ball goes wide as a defender, you cannot be too focused on the ball because Haaland is behind me,' Terry explained. 'Whoever is marking Haaland in the box, stay tight with him, be really selfish and take him out the game.'
England's quarter-final against Norway is set for Saturday night, with the winners facing one of Argentina, Egypt, Switzerland, or Colombia in the semi-finals.
