Norway v England: Bellingham Drags Three Lions Into Semifinals After Extra-Time Drama in Miami

• Jude Bellingham scored twice to overturn a 1-0 deficit as England beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in their World Cup quarterfinal at Miami Gardens.
• Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway a deserved lead in the 36th minute before Bellingham equalized in first-half stoppage time and then struck again three minutes into extra time.
• Thomas Tuchel admitted England were “lucky” despite reaching a second World Cup semifinal in three tournaments, while Bellingham dismissed his coach’s criticism of the team’s performance.

Bellingham Matches Kane on Six Tournament Goals as England Set Up Semifinal Date

Jude Bellingham produced another defining performance on the biggest stage to send England into the World Cup semifinals, scoring twice to turn a 1-0 deficit against Norway into a 2-1 extra-time victory in oppressive heat at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

The Real Madrid star is now tied with England teammate Harry Kane on six goals at this tournament, trailing only Kylian Mbappe of France on eight and Lionel Messi of Argentina. Bellingham had already scored twice in the round of 16 victory over co-hosts Mexico, and his growing influence on this World Cup is becoming impossible to ignore.

The victory means England have reached a second semifinal in three World Cups and will face the winner of Argentina versus Switzerland in Atlanta on Wednesday. England have not appeared in a World Cup final since their only triumph as host nation in 1966.

Norway were the better side for long stretches of normal time and took a deserved lead through Andreas Schjelderup in the 36th minute. The forward struck a left-footed shot that caught out Jordan Pickford by crashing in off the far post, and for a spell it looked as though Ståle Solbakken’s side were on course for a first-ever World Cup semifinal appearance.

England, though, found an equalizer just before the break through Bellingham, whose low shot beat Orjan Nyland at the far post. The goal came with controversy attached. In the buildup, a Norway goal kick resulted in the ball appearing to make contact with an aerial camera cable before landing at the feet of Elliot Anderson. The ball was eventually worked to Bellingham, who finished with composure. By the rules of the game, had the contact with the cable been noticed by officials, play would have been stopped and a drop ball awarded.

The second half was tense and fractious in the Miami heat, with both Harry Kane and Norway’s Torbjorn Heggem having goals disallowed. Kane’s was ruled out for offside, while Heggem’s was chalked off for a foul in the buildup. Neither side could find a breakthrough in the remaining 45 minutes, and the match went to extra time.

Bellingham settled it three minutes into the additional period, converting from close range to give England the lead for the first time in the contest. Norway’s hopes of a comeback took a surprising blow when Solbakken replaced Erling Haaland with Jorgen Strand Larsen at the halfway point of extra time, a decision that raised eyebrows given the magnitude of the occasion.

There was still time for more drama. England were awarded a penalty after Djed Spence went down under a challenge from Oscar Bobb, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review. It was the latest in a series of contentious moments in an absorbing quarterfinal.

Despite the result sending England through, coach Thomas Tuchel was far from satisfied with what he had seen from his players. “The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four, it’s amazing, but not happy with the performance,” Tuchel said. “Again, the commitment is there, but we made life very very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played — sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough — we were lucky today.”

Bellingham, the match winner for the second consecutive knockout round, was in no mood to entertain his coach’s downbeat assessment. “Yeah well, whatever, whatever,” he said. “It’s difficult out there, it’s a tough shift, all the players have put in a very tough shift so my thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there, who put in a great shift yet again.”

The tension between Tuchel’s public honesty and Bellingham’s defiant confidence has become a recurring theme of England’s tournament, but the results keep coming. England march on to the last four, propelled once more by their 23-year-old talisman.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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