Sick Rice substituted at half-time as England reach World Cup semi-finals
England overcame a sickness-struck squad to beat Norway 2-1, advancing to a high-profile World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has disclosed that midfielder Declan Rice spent nearly three days in bed with sickness leading up to his side’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway at Miami Stadium. Despite the illness, Rice started the match but appeared compromised in the stifling heat before being withdrawn at the break.
The substitution was part of a tactical shift to add offensive pressure after England fell 1-0 down to an Andreas Schjelderup goal. "Declan, we made a decision in half-time to become more offensive, to have a bit of an offensive shift," Tuchel said. "I made the decision when we were 1-0 down and didn't want to go back on the decision because of the equaliser."
Jude Bellingham provided that equaliser just before the half-time whistle and later scored the decisive winner in extra time to secure the 2-1 victory. Tuchel brought on Arsenal team-mate Eberechi Eze to replace Rice, a move driven by the midfielder's deteriorated physical state.
Rice had already been managing a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, which was exacerbated by the recent sickness. "Knowing that Declan struggled after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed, I knew he cannot survive 90 minutes," Tuchel said. "There was a possibility that it goes 120 [minutes], so I didn't want to waste another change, so the decision was to take Declan out earlier than he needed to go out, just to save us another change later down the match."
Managing player welfare through a demanding tournament schedule is a central challenge for international managers, making the proactive use of substitutions a calculated necessity. Rice was not the only player affected by the extreme conditions. "We had some players struggling in the heat," Tuchel added. "Ezri Konsa was one of them with cramps and the hamstrings."
Rice, who played a pivotal role in Arsenal winning the Premier League title last season, has otherwise been a mainstay in the England side. He has started five of the team's six matches at the 2026 World Cup, sitting out only the group stage fixture against Panama.
England's victory sets up a semi-final against Argentina, who advanced by beating Switzerland. The match will kick off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday, 15 July and will be broadcast live across the BBC.
