MIAMI — Jude Bellingham delivered a two-goal performance, capping it with an extra-time winner, as England edged past a tenacious Norway squad 2-1 at Miami Stadium on Saturday to punch their ticket to the World Cup semifinals for the fourth time.
The match was deadlocked at 1-1 when regulation time expired. Norway had taken the lead in the 36th minute through a stunning strike by Andreas Schjelderup, but Bellingham answered just before the halftime whistle to level the score.
Three minutes into extra time, Morgan Rogers unleashed a long-distance shot that Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland could only deflect, and Bellingham pounced on the loose ball to finish it off — sending the 64,478 fans dressed in white into a frenzy.
England will now travel to Atlanta on Wednesday for a semifinal showdown against either Argentina or Switzerland. It marks the fourth time England has reached the final four in their last five major championships, as they chase a second World Cup title after their only triumph back in 1966.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel was candid in his assessment of the performance despite the positive result. “The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance,” he said. “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today.”
Norway, appearing in their first World Cup in 28 years, can leave with their pride intact despite the loss. Notably, England managed to keep Erling Haaland off the scoresheet for the first time in his last 16 appearances for his national team.
Norway captain Martin Odegaard reflected on the tournament experience. “It is a bit bitter, but it has been an adventure,” he said. “We must be proud. We are here for the first time in a long time, and we are making our mark. The whole world is talking about us.”
The opening half was a cautious contest, likely influenced by the intense heat. Norway showed the first real threat in the 35th minute when Julian Ryerson crossed for Haaland, whose header was saved by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Just a minute later, Patrick Berg stripped Harry Kane of the ball near midfield and fed Schjelderup down the left flank. The winger left makeshift England fullback Ezri Konsa in his wake before smashing the ball into the net.
Norway pressed their advantage, with Alexander Sorloth rattling a rising shot over the bar and Odegaard drilling a low effort that Pickford pushed away. In the 44th minute, Norway had a golden opportunity to double their lead during a two-on-one situation, but Sorloth opted against passing to Haaland and England’s defense recovered in time.
That missed chance proved costly when Bellingham conjured an equalizer of real quality in stoppage time. Taking a clever pass from Anthony Gordon along the edge of the box, Bellingham used one touch to guide the ball into the area, another to beat a defender, and then curled a shot past Nyland into the far corner.
Kane had the ball in the net before halftime, but the effort was ruled out for offside — a call confirmed by VAR.
Ten minutes into the second half, VAR was called upon again when Torbjorn Heggem believed he had put Norway back in front from a corner kick, but the goal was disallowed due to a push by Haaland on Elliot Anderson.
Norway’s introduction of winger Oscar Bobb in the 67th minute sparked another stretch of pressure, with England nearly conceding when David Moller Wolfe headed the ball off the crossbar. England substitute Bukayo Saka came close to giving his side the lead with a dangerous cross in the 78th minute, and later fired a low ball across the box from the byline that no England player could connect with. Another substitute, Djed Spence, caught Nyland off guard late in regulation, but the second half ended without a goal.
After Bellingham’s winner in extra time, VAR stepped in once more to overturn a penalty awarded to England for a foul on Spence. Haaland, who finished the tournament with seven goals, was taken off at the break in extra time. Norway pushed forward desperately seeking an equalizer, but England held firm to advance — matching their semifinal appearances at the 1966, 1990, and 2018 World Cups.
A visibly emotional Norway coach Stale Solbakken summed up the heartbreak. “I feel sorry for the lads, but this is top level sports at its best or its most gruesome,” he said. “We played fantastic football against a super team, but we didn’t make it.”
