I missed son's birth to play against Haaland - I didn't realise he'd be so good

Defender Marius Hoibraten could find himself up against compatriot Erling Haaland in the Club World Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia - where he's made a huge personal sacrifice to play.

Hoibraten joined the Japanese side in January and, while he has gone head-to-head with Haaland in the past, the 28-year-old is ready to do all he can help his side tame the treble winners.

That's because Hoibraten has faced a logistical nightmare in his attempts to get his hands on the prestigious trophy.

Despite picking up an Asian Champions League winners medal in May, Hoibraten has recently faced an even bigger life moment.

Last week he became a father for the first time, but he was unable to be present at the birth due to his participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.

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"It was surreal," Hoibraten told VG. "We landed in Doha from Japan when I received a message that the birth was in progress, and it had been sent a few hours ago.

"The birth was underway one week before the due date. Then it was almost straight up to maximum heart rate at once. I just had to try to get control of my breathing and the situation. I couldn't do anything, so I just had to breathe with my stomach."

He had no choice but to witness the birth via FaceTime, before he was allowed to fly home from Saudi Arabia to greet his newborn child.

"It is very, very big," said Hoibraten. "It's the biggest thing I've experienced. It was special when I wasn't present, but I was home for twelve hours and got to say hello to my son and my fiancée."

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As winners of the Asian Champions League, Urawa have given themselves the opportunity to spring a huge surprise should they beat a stuttering Man City side to set up a final against Brazilian side Fluminense on Friday evening.

"You can't be any less favourite than we are against them [City] in that situation here," Hoibraten added ahead of Tuesday's match.

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"We have nothing to lose and just have to go out and enjoy it. Not everyone gets to play against such a good team. It's pretty raw."

The centre-back is bracing himself for what could be the toughest task of his career to date - a meeting with Haaland on the biggest stage.

The pair have previously played against each other in the Norwegian top flight back in 2018, which saw Haaland come out on top as his Molde side won 2-0 at Stromsgodset.

"It's been a few years," Hoibraten recalled. "But I remember being served a power pack in my lap. He's not that old now, and at least he wasn't that old then.

"So you realised that he was going to be something very, very good."