England are in the World Cup semi-finals. Norway are going home. And somewhere in the wreckage of a 2-1 extra-time defeat, Alf-Inge Haaland found time to take a swing at Roy Keane — because some grudges don't expire, they just wait for the right moment.
England edged past Norway 2-1 after extra time on 13 July to book their place in the last four of the 2026 World Cup. It was the kind of nervy, grinding knockout win that England fans have learned to process with one eye half-closed — but they're through, and that's what matters.
Norway, for their part, gave England a genuine test. Erling Haaland's nation pushed the Three Lions to the wire, and the extra-time finish will sting. But the story that immediately caught fire had nothing to do with what happened on the pitch.
According to Foot Mercato, Alf-Inge Haaland reacted to the defeat with comments that appeared to include a pointed jab at Roy Keane — referencing, per the report, Keane appearing to drink alcohol during matches. The precise wording and full context of those comments hasn't been independently verified, and it's unclear whether the remark was a direct accusation, a dry aside, or something lifted partially out of context. Treat it accordingly.
What isn't unclear is the history. Keane's challenge on Alf-Inge Haaland at Old Trafford in September 2001 — and Keane's subsequent admission in his autobiography that it was deliberate revenge for a previous incident — is one of the most notorious moments in Premier League history. Haaland's career was effectively ended by knee injuries in the years that followed. The two men have never been on warm terms. They never will be.
Keane was working as a pundit during the tournament — which is the context that makes Haaland's reported comments land with a particular sharpness. The idea of Alf-Inge watching Keane hold court on television while Norway lose to England is, frankly, a lot.
Haaland Sr. choosing this moment — his son's nation knocked out of a World Cup — to resurface the feud says everything about how deep it runs. Twenty-plus years on, and the mention of Keane's name still produces something other than indifference.
England fans will take the semi-final and barely register any of this. Norway fans probably wish their evening had ended differently. And Roy Keane, if he heard the comments, almost certainly did not look particularly bothered — which, if you know Roy Keane, is somehow the most believable part of the whole thing.
England are in the World Cup semi-finals. Norway are going home. And somewhere in the wreckage of a 2-1 extra-time defeat, Alf-Inge Haaland found time to take a swing at Roy Keane
Fontes
Foot Mercato
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