England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed Declan Rice spent almost three days in bed with sickness ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against Norway.
The midfielder still started the 2-1 win in Miami, but Jude Bellingham’s equaliser before half-time and extra-time winner ultimately carried the Three Lions into the semi-finals.
Rice looked to be struggling in the stifling heat at Miami Stadium and was replaced at the break by Arsenal team-mate Eberechi Eze.
England fell behind early to Andreas Schjelderup’s opener for Norway, before Bellingham levelled just before half-time. The Real Madrid midfielder then struck again in extra time to seal progress.
Speaking after the match, Tuchel said the decision to withdraw Rice was made with his fitness in mind.
The England boss explained Rice had been dealing with a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, which was made worse by illness in the build-up.
Rice did train on the eve of the game, but Tuchel felt he would not last the full 90 minutes, let alone 120.
“We had some players struggling in the heat. Ezri Konsa was one of them with cramps in the hamstrings. We had to take Elliot 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 could not survive 90 minutes.” Tuchel said.
Tuchel added that the change was planned when England were 1-0 down as part of a more offensive shift, and he did not want to reverse it after Bellingham’s equalizer in case another substitution was needed later.
The substitution was also a tactical precaution. With the possibility of extra time, Tuchel said he did not want to “waste another change” late on.
Rice has been a key figure for England in the tournament, starting five of the six matches so far. The only game he missed was the group-stage match against Panama.
England now face Argentina, who reached the last four with a win over Switzerland, in the semi-final on Wednesday, 15 July at 20:00 BST.
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