England "incredibly disappointed" by defender's suspension

England winger Bukayo Saka has revealed the squad is "incredibly disappointed" after learning that Jarell Quansah has received a two-match ban, ruling him out of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Norway and a potential semi-final. Quansah was sent off in the Round of 16 match against Mexico, which England won 3-2, after referees deemed his lunging tackle to be dangerous play. The suspension leaves manager Thomas Tuchel with limited options in the latter stages of the tournament.

"I just found out that Quansah got a two-match ban, which is extremely disappointing for us, and for him as well," Saka told reporters after training on Thursday. "But that's how it is. We're not here to complain, we just have to adapt and pick a team that's ready to beat Norway."

The England camp had considered appealing the suspension, particularly given the precedent of the overturned red card for American forward Folarin Balogun, who was allowed to play against Belgium. However, FIFA rules state that England has no right to appeal, a Football Association spokesperson confirmed. When asked how this case differed from Balogun's, Saka replied: "I don't know what to say. I have no comment on that. It was FIFA's decision."

"The decision is disappointing, but we'd rather focus on finding a response on the pitch than feeling sorry for ourselves."

Saka himself arrived at the World Cup struggling with fitness but is pleased that his condition has improved with each match after recovering from both a muscle injury and Achilles tendonitis.

"I think throughout the tournament my minutes have been increasing," Saka said. "Of course, I would have loved to come into this tournament at 100%, but that wasn't the case, and everyone recognised that and managed my workload in the best way possible. But right now, I feel great and I'm ready to start."

As a defender, O'Riley was asked about the importance of containing Erling Haaland, Norway's top scorer and a contender for the World Cup Golden Boot.

"We're not focusing solely on him; you just can't do that in modern football. They have great players all over the pitch who can create a lot of danger. But of course, if we can keep Haaland quiet, that would be a huge factor," he concluded.

Defender Nico O'Riley, who is one yellow card away from a suspension, described Quansah's absence as a blow but insisted the team would move on quickly.

"Yeah, of course, it's sad," O'Riley said. "It can't be appealed or anything like that, so we just have to get on with it. I feel for Jar as well." When asked if he was worried that a yellow card against Norway would rule him out of a potential semi-final, he replied: "I think I'll approach it the same way as any other game. Of course, if we win and I get a yellow card, I'll miss the next match. But I'm not focused on that. I'm focused on playing my game and doing what I need to do on the pitch."