Bellingham scores twice as England beat Norway 2-1 to reach World Cup semis | World Cup 2026 News
Bellingham Leads England Past Norway in World Cup Quarterfinal
MIAMI — Jude Bellingham scored twice to propel England past Norway with a 2-1 victory after extra time in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, ending Norway’s historic run in the tournament.
Norway took an early lead in the match, marking their first appearance in a World Cup quarterfinal, with Andreas Schjelderup scoring in the first half amid sweltering Miami heat. However, Bellingham equalized just before halftime, demonstrating his pivotal role in England’s advancement. He had also scored twice in England’s earlier 3-2 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16.
The match saw a controversial moment when Norway’s second goal was disallowed following a VAR review, which determined that Erling Haaland committed a foul prior to the goal. As both teams struggled with fatigue, Bellingham delivered the decisive moment, capitalizing on a mistake by Norway’s goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to secure England’s sixth goal of the tournament.
With this win, England advances to face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals, aiming for their first World Cup final appearance in 60 years. Haaland’s scoring streak, which had lasted 14 competitive matches for Norway, came to an end as he was substituted during extra time due to exhaustion.
Historically, England had struggled in World Cup knockout matches after conceding first, with this tournament marking their second such comeback in three matches.
Grueling Heat Takes Its Toll
The match kicked off at 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT), with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and high humidity creating challenging conditions for the players. These factors seemed to impact performance early on, with England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making a crucial save against Martin Ødegaard, followed by a missed opportunity from Alexander Sørloth.
Bellingham was tightly marked until he received a pass from Anthony Gordon, burst into the penalty area, and fired in a shot with his weaker left foot to equalize. England nearly headed into the break with the lead, but a well-executed chance from Bellingham to Harry Kane was deemed offside.
Manager Thomas Tuchel made tactical changes at half-time, bringing in Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze for Noni Madueke and Declan Rice. These substitutions left England vulnerable in midfield, and Norway seized the opportunity when Torbjørn Heggem scored from a corner, only to have the goal overturned for a foul by Haaland.
As fatigue set in for both teams, Norway’s Kristoffer Ajer struck the bar with a late shot, but the match proceeded to extra time. Bellingham found the back of the net again after Nyland mishandled a shot from substitute Morgan Rogers, putting England ahead for good.
Though England earned a penalty moments later, VAR nullified the call, siding with Norway after determining that Djed Spence initiated contact.
Following the match, Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty of the performance. “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” he said in a post-match interview. “The result is fantastic. We are in the last four, but we need to play better.”
England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals, hopeful for a path toward their first World Cup championship since 1966.
