Bellingham Brace Propels England Past Norway into World Cup Semi-Finals
Three Lions overcome Norway in extra time.
Jude Bellingham’s sixth goal of the tournament secured England’s place in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals, as Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame a resilient Norway 2-1 in Miami. The midfielder struck in the third minute of extra time, capitalizing on a spilled shot from Orjan Nyland to settle a fixture defined by physical play and contentious officiating decisions.
England’s progression marks only the fourth time the Three Lions have successfully navigated a World Cup quarter-final in 11 attempts. They now prepare for a semi-final clash in Atlanta against either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland.
The match turned on a controversial VAR intervention shortly after half-time. Torbjorn Heggem appeared to have restored Norway’s lead, but the goal was disallowed following a review of Erling Haaland’s shove on Elliot Anderson. According to FIFA protocols regarding physical infringements before restarts, the referee penalized the striker for a push that occurred before the corner was delivered, a point of emphasis under new tournament regulations.
Former England international Lee Dixon, speaking to ITV, described the performance as “dogged,” noting that Jude Bellingham “carried them over that line almost single-handedly.”
Norway had initially taken the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup’s cross-shot. England responded in first-half stoppage time when Bellingham collected an Anthony Gordon pass and found the far corner. Harry Kane saw a potential lead-taker ruled out for offside just before the interval, keeping the scores level until the final stages of the 120-minute contest.
While Erling Haaland entered the match having scored in 14 consecutive competitive outings for Norway, he was substituted at the midpoint of extra time. His absence during the closing 15 minutes coincided with a period of sustained England pressure, during which Orjan Nyland was forced into a double save to deny Bukayo Saka and Djed Spence.
The fixture also saw Jordan Pickford surpass Peter Shilton to become England’s all-time leading appearance maker at the World Cup, earning his 18th cap in the competition.
