Alan Shearer changes World Cup prediction: ‘They can go one step further’

Former England captain Alan Shearer has changed one of his World Cup predictions on the eve of the Three Lions’ quarter-final clash with Norway.

England have reached the last eight of the World Cup after producing one of their best-ever tournament performances to defeat co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca stadium.

Thomas Tuchel’s side had to survive a hostile atmosphere, unfavourable conditions and a red card for Jarell Quansah but clung on for a narrow 3-2 win to reach the quarter-finals.

England will now play Norway for a place in the semi-finals after they continued their impressive run by defeating five-time winners Brazil in New Jersey.

The Three Lions are now just two wins away from their first World Cup final since 1966, a feat which Shearer did not think was possible before the tournament.

But the former England captain has now changed his tune, and believes Tuchel and his side have all the qualities needed to go all the way in this tournament.

Writing on the BBC, Shearer said: ‘There’s always hope with England at a major tournament, but that performance has pushed us all further forward and given everyone, including me, confidence and belief too.

‘Before I went to the Azteca Stadium, and watched us deal with everything that was thrown at us, I didn’t truly believe England could win this World Cup – but I’ve changed my mind, and I think everyone else has too.

‘I still don’t know if we will win it but everything about the way we played against Mexico showed why we can.

‘In my experience as a fan, player or pundit, whenever England have done well at a tournament, there’s always a performance like that from us somewhere that lifts everyone, the whole nation, and makes you think, ‘wow, we can do this’.

‘I had it myself as a player at Euro ’96 when we beat the Netherlands 4-1 at Wembley and felt unstoppable.

‘We fell agonisingly short in 1996 when we lost on penalties in the semi-finals but, 30 years on, there are plenty of reasons why this England side are capable of going at least one step further.’

England’s main problem on the night will be dealing with Norway’s talismanic striker Erling Haaland, who has already scored seven goals in just four matches so far this tournament.

But Shearer wants England to take a different approach to keeping Haaland quiet, insisting: ‘It is Haaland’s movement that gets him that space, and then he is just a killer when he gets the sight of goal, especially inside the box – but then his second goal showed why you can’t give him any room outside the area either.

‘He’s relentless, and I don’t think there’s a way of stopping him. Instead you have to try to restrict his supply, at source, where the ball is coming from.’

The Three Lions have other issues to overcome from within their own ranks after it emerged that two players were doubts for Saturday’s match.

Declan Rice has already been playing through the pain barrier this tournament, but the Arsenal midfielder has encountered a fresh issue after missing two consecutive days of training this week due to a sickness bug.

Meanwhile, Marc Guehi is also a doubt for the game against Norway after he suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Mexico and will be assessed on Friday to determine whether he will be available this weekend.

England will definitely be without Jarrell Quansah against Norway after he was given a two-game ban by FIFA for his red card against Mexico.

But Tuchel is hopeful of having Reece James available to play after the Chelsea captain missed the last two games with a hamstring issue.

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