England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time to advance to the World Cup semi-finals, with Jude Bellingham scoring both goals for the Three Lions. Norway's Andreas Schjelderup initially opened the scoring, but Bellingham equalized in the first half's added time and secured the winner in the 93rd minute of extra time after a blunder by Norway's goalkeeper. This marks England's fourth appearance in a World Cup semi-final.
Despite the victory, England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed disappointment with his team's performance, describing it as "sloppy" and filled with "technical mistakes." He admitted that England was "lucky today" and emphasized the need for better quality play in the upcoming semi-final. Tuchel, however, praised individual performances from substitutes like Reece James and Morgan Rogers, and especially Bellingham, whom he called "world class."
Bellingham's two goals placed him in the football history books, as he now has seven World Cup goals for England, matching Pelé and trailing only Kylian Mbappé among players aged 23 or younger. He is also the first player since Diego Maradona in 1986 to score two or more goals in consecutive knockout stage appearances in the same World Cup. Norway, making their first World Cup appearance this century, had an historic run, including a victory over five-time champions Brazil in the last 16, but ultimately bowed out.
The match saw a controversial disallowed goal for Norway in the second half and a potential penalty for England also waved off by VAR. Erling Haaland, a leading contender for the Golden Boot, had a quiet performance compared to his previous outings where he scored 62 goals in 54 caps for Norway and had been on a 14-game scoring streak. England will now prepare to face either Argentina or Switzerland in their semi-final match, with players like Bellingham, Marc Guehi, Declan Rice, and Nico O'Reilly avoiding bookings and being available for the next game.
