England are one victory away from reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966 after defeating Norway 2-1 in extra time in Miami, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to inspire a dramatic comeback.
The victory sends Thomas Tuchel’s side into the semi-finals, where they will face Argentina.
England endured a stern test in the sweltering heat and humidity, relying on Bellingham’s brilliance once again to overturn Norway’s first-half lead and book a place in the last four.
Norway struck first in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup’s dipping effort deceived goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and found the back of the net.
England responded just before the break through Bellingham, who timed his run perfectly to latch onto Anthony Gordon’s pass before calmly beating goalkeeper Orjan Nyland in first-half stoppage time.
Tuchel made two changes at the interval, introducing Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze for Declan Rice, who had been struggling with illness and injury, and Noni Madueke.
Norway thought they had regained the lead in the second half when Torbjorn Heggem scored, but the effort was ruled out after VAR spotted Erling Haaland’s push on Elliot Anderson during the build-up. David Moller Wolfe also came close, heading against the crossbar.
With the contest heading towards penalties, Bellingham delivered again three minutes into extra time. Nyland could only parry Morgan Rogers’ effort into the midfielder’s path, and the Real Madrid star reacted quickest to slot home the winner.
The victory sends England into their third World Cup semi-final since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966, as they look to end the heartbreak of defeats to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.
Unlike their thrilling last-16 triumph over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, England struggled to find their rhythm for long periods, with fatigue and the oppressive Miami conditions clearly taking their toll.
Yet Bellingham once again proved to be England’s driving force. After his composed equaliser, he immediately turned and sprinted back towards the centre circle, urging his teammates to push for more rather than celebrating.
As both sides tired in the second half and extra time, it was Bellingham’s alertness and composure that ultimately settled the contest, taking his tournament tally to six goals and further underlining his importance to England’s World Cup campaign.
For Norway, Haaland’s impressive tournament ended in disappointment. The Manchester City striker, who arrived at the quarter-finals with seven goals, was largely kept quiet by England’s defence.
He nearly capitalised on a defensive lapse by John Stones in the first half and was left frustrated when Alexander Sorloth opted not to square the ball despite Haaland being unmarked with a clear sight of goal.
His biggest setback came when his push on Anderson led to Heggem’s goal being disallowed following a VAR review. Haaland appeared to realise the decision was inevitable even before it was confirmed.
Despite the defeat, Haaland leaves the tournament having enhanced both his reputation and Norway’s, with an outstanding World Cup campaign that captured the admiration of fans around the world.
