England booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Jude Bellingham produced another match-winning display with two goals in a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday in Miami.
The Three Lions were pushed to the limit by a spirited Norwegian side, who threatened to continue their remarkable tournament run after Andreas Schjelderup stunned England with the opening goal in the 36th minute.
Schjelderup, making only his second start of the tournament, latched onto a flowing move before drilling a low effort that ricocheted off the post and beyond Jordan Pickford, giving Norway a deserved lead after weathering England’s early dominance.
Thomas Tuchel’s men looked set to head into the break trailing until Bellingham once again rose to the occasion. Deep into first-half stoppage time, the midfielder burst into the penalty area, collected Anthony Gordon’s pass and calmly slotted a left-footed finish beyond Ørjan Nyland to restore parity.
The equaliser was not without controversy, as Norway protested that Nyland’s goal kick had struck an overhead camera cable before England regained possession in the build-up. However, FIFA’s ball-tracking technology later confirmed there had been no contact.
England thought they had seized complete control after the restart, but Norway refused to back down. Torbjørn Heggem found the net from a corner only for VAR to disallow the goal after Erling Haaland was penalised for a foul during the build-up.
The Norwegians continued to pile on the pressure, with Kristoffer Ajer rattling the crossbar as England struggled to regain their rhythm in the sweltering Miami heat, where temperatures remained above 30 degrees Celsius throughout the contest.
With neither side able to find a winner in regulation time, the quarter-final moved into extra time.
Just three minutes into the additional period, Nyland’s costly error proved decisive. The Norwegian goalkeeper spilled a long-range effort from substitute Morgan Rogers, allowing the alert Bellingham to pounce on the rebound and fire home his sixth goal of the tournament.
England were later awarded a penalty after Djed Spence went down inside the area, but referee Clément Turpin overturned the decision following a VAR review, ruling that the defender had initiated the contact.
Norway’s hopes faded further when an exhausted Haaland, whose scoring streak of 14 consecutive competitive international matches came to an end, was substituted during extra time as England held firm to secure victory.
Bellingham’s latest brace follows his two-goal heroics against Mexico in the Round of 16 and sees him equal the record for the most goals scored by an English player in a single FIFA World Cup edition with six.
The victory sends England into the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2018 and only the fourth time in the nation’s history. They will now face the winners of Argentina and Switzerland on Wednesday, with a place in their first World Cup final since 1966 at stake.
