Declan Rice was ill in bed for three days before Norway game, Tuchel reveals

England's World Cup campaign faced an internal challenge as key midfielder Declan Rice battled a severe illness in the days leading up to their quarter-final victory over Norway. England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that Rice spent most of the three days prior to the match in bed with sickness, significantly impacting his readiness.

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We had some players struggling in the heat. Ezri Konsa was one of them with cramps and the hamstrings.

Rice was included in the starting lineup for the 2-1 win but appeared to struggle with the oppressive heat at the Miami Stadium. He was eventually substituted at halftime, replaced by his Arsenal teammate Eberechi Eze. The team had initially fallen behind to a goal from Norway's Andreas Schjelderup before Jude Bellingham equalized just before the break and scored the winning goal in extra time.

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Declan, we made a decision in half-time to become more offensive, to have a bit of an offensive shift.

Tuchel explained the decision to substitute Rice, noting that the player was already dealing with a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, which was exacerbated by the illness. "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 stated. The manager also considered the possibility of the match extending to 120 minutes, aiming to conserve a substitution.

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We had to take Elliott [Anderson] or Declan out [and] 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.

Rice has been a consistent presence for England throughout the tournament, starting in five of their six matches. The only game he missed was the group stage match against Panama. His illness highlights the physical toll the World Cup can take on players, even those considered indispensable to their team's success.

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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.