Bellingham double sends England past Norway into World Cup semifinals

Jude Bellingham dragged England into the World Cup semifinals with a double that turned a tense night in Miami into a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. The victory, sealed by Bellingham’s winner in the 93rd minute, sent England into a fourth World Cup semifinal and a third since 1966, where it will meet Argentina or Switzerland.

Norway struck first through Andreas Schjelderup, and England spent long stretches looking unsettled in the heat and humidity at Miami Stadium. The match began in 33 degrees Celsius conditions, with the feel close to 40, and the rhythm was broken by hydration pauses. Jordan Pickford was caught out on Norway’s opener, Erling Haaland had chances to extend the lead, Torbjørn Heggem saw a goal ruled out by VAR and Kristoffer Ajer rattled the crossbar.

Bellingham answered before halftime, leveling in the 45th minute plus two, then finished the job three minutes into extra time. The Real Madrid midfielder reached six goals for the tournament and remained England’s most decisive attacking force in a campaign defined by recoveries rather than control. England had already beaten Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16 and the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in the previous round, and the pattern held again as Thomas Tuchel’s side found a way through another difficult match.

Tuchel did little to soften the edges after the final whistle. He said England was “fortunate,” added that the side had “made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” and was blunt that he was not happy with the performance “in all respects.” Even so, he called the result “fantastic” and said England was into the final round, a view that underlined the gap between the scoreboard and the shape of the team.

Bellingham’s reply to Tuchel’s criticism was equally terse: “Whatever.” England Football framed the result as “a victory for everyone,” but the contrast between those responses captured England’s identity at this tournament. Bellingham has covered for structural problems with goals and force of personality, while Tuchel has made clear that the tactical load still looks heavy heading into the semifinals. Norway, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals of a major competition for the first time and passed two knockout rounds in the same World Cup before Bellingham ended the run.