Jude Bellingham Leads England to World Cup Semifinals With Win Over Norway
Jude Bellingham continued his impressive World Cup campaign for England, scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory against Norway on Saturday.
The two sides remained deadlocked after 90 minutes of play, forcing the match into extra time. Just three minutes into the additional period, Bellingham capitalized on a rebound from a Morgan Rogers shot to secure the lead for the Three Lions.
This victory marks the third time in the tournament that a goal from Bellingham has provided England with a permanent lead. With six goals now to his name, he joins Gary Lineker (1986) and Harry Kane (2018, 2026) as the only England players to net at least five goals in a single men’s World Cup.
Following the first-half hydration break, Norway shifted their strategy. Rather than sitting back and absorbing pressure, they applied higher intensity to keep England on the defensive.
This attacking shift yielded results in the 36th minute. Andreas Schjelderup, who entered the starting lineup for Antonio Nusa, curled a precise strike from the left side of the penalty area over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to open the scoring.
England responded quickly to the deficit. Ten minutes later, Anthony Gordon delivered a cross into the box that found Bellingham. The midfielder took three touches to create space before firing the ball past goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland to level the score before halftime.
Questions regarding the validity of the equalizer emerged at the interval. Replays suggested that the goal kick from Nyland which initiated the sequence hit the sky cam cable above the pitch. However, FIFA officials stated they reviewed the data and found no evidence of interference on the ball’s heartbeat sensor.
Norway appeared to equalize ten minutes into the second half, but a VAR review overturned the decision. Referee Clément Turpin reviewed the monitor and ruled that Erling Haaland had pushed Elliott Anderson before Martin Ødegaard delivered the corner kick, leading to the goal being disallowed.
Although Norway controlled possession during extra time and registered four shots, they failed to force a save from Pickford. England maintained a disciplined structure to suppress scoring opportunities and effectively neutralized Haaland.
Haaland concludes his World Cup appearance with seven goals, remaining in the hunt for the Golden Boot. He was substituted for Jørgen Strand Larsen in the 106th minute after recording two shots and 21 touches, with only five of those coming inside the England penalty area.
The victory advances England to the semifinals for the second time in the last three World Cups. They are now scheduled to face the winner of the Argentina-Switzerland match this Wednesday in Atlanta.