England qualified for the World Cup semi-final with a 2-1 win against Erling Haaland’s Norway on Saturday night.
Newcastle United defender Dan Burn has insisted England have still not reached their full potential - despite progressing into the World Cup semi-final with a hard-earned win against Erling Haaland’s Norway.
The Magpies centre-back produced an eye-catching cameo in a now-iconic round-of-16 win against co-hosts Mexico as he came off the bench to strengthen the Three Lions backline - and he produced a similar performance during the closing stages of Saturday night’s quarter-final win against a dangerous Norway side.
Dan Burn #15, Harry Kane #9 and Jude Bellingham #10 of England celebrate after the 2-1 victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Norway and England at Miami Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for Rexona)placeholder image
Dan Burn #15, Harry Kane #9 and Jude Bellingham #10 of England celebrate after the 2-1 victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Norway and England at Miami Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for Rexona) | Getty Images for Rexona
Thomas Tuchel’s men fell behind on 36 minutes when a cross-shot from Benfica’s Andreas Schjelderup somehow found its way beyond Jordan Pickford and inside his far post. However, the talismanic Jude Bellingham got England back on level-terms in first-half injury-time before settling the contest in the early stages of extra-time after the two sides failed to find a winner inside 90 minutes.
Burn was introduced into the action with around ten minutes remaining in the additional 30 and was key to helping the Three Lions see out time to see off their dogged and determined opponents and setup up a semi-final date with Lionel Messi and Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night. The Magpies defender admitted England had ‘not performed as well as they could have’ - but insisted they should be delighted to have reached the last four of the tournament despite not playing at their peak.
Speaking after the quarter-final win, Newcastle star Burn told BBC Sport: “I wish we’d scored earlier so we could all be home by now. I was buzzing for the lads but I still don’t think we have performed as well as we could have. But we are showing lots of different ways to way so it’s very excited. The best teams win when they don’t play well and I think the heat had a very big factor on the game today. I don’t think it was probably as exciting as it could have been knowing how good Norway are but just delighted to get through.”
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