Miami, Jul 12 (V7N) — England booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after staging a dramatic comeback to defeat Norway 2-1 in the third quarter-final, with Jude Bellingham scoring both goals.
The match, played at Miami Stadium on Saturday, saw England dominate possession from the opening whistle. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham repeatedly threatened the Norwegian defence, while Norway looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Despite chances at both ends, neither side could find the breakthrough early on.
Norway eventually took the lead in the 36th minute when Sondre Skjelderup fired a superb shot into the far corner of the net, putting the Scandinavian side ahead.
However, England responded just before the break. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Anthony Gordon delivered a precise assist for Jude Bellingham, who calmly slotted home the equaliser to send the teams into halftime level at 1-1.
The second half was fiercely contested, with Norway putting sustained pressure on England's defence. Thomas Tuchel's side held firm, surviving several dangerous moments, including an effort that struck the crossbar and a Norwegian goal that was ruled out following a VAR review.
The decisive moment came in extra time. In the 93rd minute, Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland failed to hold Morgan Rogers' shot, allowing Bellingham to react quickest and score the rebound for his second goal of the match.
The dramatic winner completed England's comeback and secured a place in the World Cup semi-finals, while ending Norway's hopes of reaching the last four for the first time in 72 years.
England will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland in the semi-finals. The match is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 a.m. Bangladesh time on Wednesday.
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