England manager Thomas Tuchel stated that midfielder Declan Rice spent most of the three days preceding their World Cup quarter-final win against Norway in bed due to a sickness bug. Rice was a starter in the 2-1 victory but appeared to struggle in the Miami Stadium's heat before being substituted in the second half for Arsenal teammate Eberechi Eze.
Norway took an early lead through Andreas Schjelderup, but Jude Bellingham equalized just before halftime and scored the winning goal in extra time. The win secured England a semi-final spot against Argentina.
Tuchel noted that several players experienced difficulties with the heat, including Ezri Konsa who suffered from cramps and hamstring issues. Regarding Rice, Tuchel explained that a halftime decision was made to adopt a more offensive strategy, a decision he did not want to reverse after the equalizer.
Rice had already been dealing with a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, which was worsened by the illness. While he trained the day before the quarter-final, he was unable to play the full match. Tuchel acknowledged that knowing Rice had been largely confined to bed for the preceding three days, he anticipated Rice could not endure 90 minutes. The manager also considered the possibility of the match extending to 120 minutes, leading to an earlier substitution for Rice to preserve a potential change later in the game.
Rice has been a consistent presence for England in the 2026 World Cup, starting five out of six matches. The group stage game against Panama was the only one he missed. He was instrumental in Arsenal's Premier League title win last season.