Bellingham Does It Again as England Grind Past Norway to Reach the Last Four
Bellingham Does It Again as England Grind Past Norway to Reach the Last Four
England are into the World Cup semi-finals after Jude Bellingham once more proved he's the man for the big occasion, scoring twice in a 2-1 extra-time win over a gutsy Norway side in Miami. It wasn't pretty, and the heat and humidity made it even tougher, but England found a way through – just as they seem to keep doing.
Norway shock the Three Lions, but Bellingham levels before the break
England started well enough, seeing plenty of the ball early on. Harry Kane went close from a free-kick but blazed it over, and the midfield looked comfortable enough. Then, out of nowhere, Norway struck. Andreas Schjelderup, only in his second start of the tournament, cut inside from the left and fired a shot that looked like it was meant as a cross. It clipped the far post and flew past Jordan Pickford – a brilliant, freakish goal that gave Norway a deserved lead in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. England wobbled, and Pickford had to be sharp to deny Erling Haaland twice before half-time.
Just when it looked like England might go in behind, Bellingham showed up. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Anthony Gordon threaded a clever ball into the box, Bellingham took it down superbly, held off his man, and slotted it into the bottom corner. 1-1, and England had the momentum they badly needed.
A scrappy second half, and a big VAR call
Norway were the better side after the break. They thought they'd retaken the lead when Torbjørn Heggem bundled in a rebound, but VAR chalked it off – Haaland had shoved Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Norway kept knocking, with Kristoffer Ajer even rattling the crossbar from a header. England, by contrast, looked a bit flat and struggled to fashion clear chances, even after Thomas Tuchel sent on Morgan Rogers to freshen things up. Nobody could find a winner, and the game went to extra time in brutal conditions.
England find the breakthrough in extra time
England came out of the traps fast. Just three minutes into extra time, Rogers let fly from distance, Ørjan Nyland could only parry it back out, and Bellingham was first to react, stabbing it home for his second of the night. A simple finish, but it took real instinct to be there.
Norway threw everything at England after that, even losing Haaland to a late withdrawal as the game took its toll on him. But England held on, surviving a nervy final few minutes to see the game out.
The big talking points
- Bellingham's the difference-maker. Another two goals takes his tournament tally into double figures territory and cements his reputation as England's go-to man when it matters most.
- Haaland kept quiet. England's defence did a solid job on the Manchester City man, who barely got a sniff before being taken off late on.
- The VAR calls held up. Between the debate over England's disallowed-that-wasn't goal and Norway's ruled-out effort, there was plenty to argue about – but the big decisions looked correct.
- Not England's best, but they found a way. Tuchel's side weren't at their fluent best, but they've shown time and again this tournament that they can dig deep.
England will face Argentina or Switzerland next in Atlanta. Norway go home with heads held high after a fairytale run that captured hearts everywhere. But tonight, in Miami, it was Bellingham's stage – and England march on.
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