Norway's boat-rowing (even if historically inaccurate) run through the World Cup has come to an end after a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to England.

The match wasn't without controversy, however, as Norway surprisingly substituted one of the tournament's most electric players, Erling Haaland.

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The Manchester City star had seven goals in the tournament, but was kept scoreless on Saturday.

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Worse yet, it was a pre-corner foul of his that cost Norway what would've been their second goal of the match.

However, it was shocking to see the 25-year-old get subbed off in favor of Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Of course, many wondered whether Haaland had sustained an injury, but let's just say the decision to pull him with 15 minutes left in extra time and Norway trailing by a goal wasn't a popular one on social media.

Jeez, tell us how you really feel!

NORWAY'S WORLD CUP KIT REFLECTS THE NATION'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WITH MEANINGFUL HISTORIC DETAILS

Of course, we'll certainly get some more info on this after the fact — I'm not super familiar with Norwegian sports media, but I'm sure they'll ask manager Ståle Solbakken about this one — but it's still disappointing.

Haaland had an incredible tournament and became one of the most popular players in it. It's just a bummer to see his tournament end with him sitting on the bench, whether that was due to injury or because of a questionable substitution.

It was still a great run for Norway, and I don't think it would be wild to see something like this again four years from now in Saudi Arabia at the next World Cup.

But now, the tournament is almost down to its final four.

France and Spain will face off in one semifinal match, while the Three Lions await the winner of Saturday night's match between Argentina and Switzerland.

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Zaniolo skips training with medical certificate as Udinese salary remains unsettled

Nicolo Zaniolo is not currently training with Udinese and has presented a medical certificate to explain his absence, but reports on Sunday claim that his ongoing salary dispute has not yet been fully settled either.

Zaniolo not in training with Udinese and has not yet settled salary dispute

Zaniolo spent the 2025-26 season at Udinese, on loan from Galatasaray with an option to buy which has since been activated. The Bianconeri reportedly paid a fee of €5m to secure his signing on a permanent basis, and Galatasaray have kept hold of a 50% sell-on clause.

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However, Zaniolo’s agent has recently explained that his client accepted a lower salary offer from Udinese last summer in order to push through a move in a race against time at the end of the summer transfer window. The feeling on the player’s side is that this salary does not reflect Zaniolo’s true value now that the transfer has been made permanent.

The agent claimed that Udinese had agreed to sit down and discuss a new set of personal terms before making Zaniolo’s transfer permanent, but this has not happened and the player has been left feeling ‘bitterly disappointed’.

Recent reports claimed that Zaniolo was earning an annual net salary of around €3m while he was still with Galatasaray, but that he accepted a cut to €1.2m per year in order to join Udinese last summer.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 11: Nicolo Zaniolo of Udinese Calcio is put under pressure by Davide Bartesaghi of AC Milan during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Udinese Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 11, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Reports earlier this week claimed that a verbal agreement had been found with Udinese for an increase to €1.8m per season, but updates from Corriere dello Sport suggest that the new deal has not been entirely close and that Zaniolo is still open to moves elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the player is not currently in pre-season training and has presented a medical certificate from his doctors in order to justify his absence.

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