England reach World Cup semifinals after Bellingham double beats Norway

England reach World Cup semifinals after Bellingham double beats Norway

Jude Bellingham scored twice to propel England into the 2026 World Cup semifinals following a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday at Miami Stadium. The result marks the fourth time in the history of the men's national team that England has reached the penultimate stage of the tournament, and their first since 2018.

Norway, competing in their first World Cup this century, took an early lead in the 36th minute. Andreas Schjelderup curled a shot off the post and into the net, beating goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Norway maintained momentum through the end of the first half, nearly doubling their lead in the 44th minute on a 2-on-1 break, but England defender John Stones recovered to force a save.

England equalized during first-half stoppage time. Following a pass from Anthony Gordon, who received the ball from Elliot Anderson, Bellingham dribbled past two defenders to score. The build-up to the goal was clouded by controversy when a replay on the FOX broadcast suggested the ball hit a Skycam cable during a clearance by Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. While some viewed this as outside interference, FIFA released a statement on social media stating there was no peak in the ball's sensor to indicate contact with the wire.

The second half remained deadlocked despite several critical VAR interventions. In the 56th minute, Norway's Torbjorn Heggem scored from a corner, but the goal was overturned after VAR ruled that Erling Haaland had committed a pushing foul in the build-up. England also saw a potential go-ahead goal by Harry Kane ruled out for offside, and a potential penalty for Spence was subsequently denied by VAR.

Bellingham settled the contest three minutes into extra time. He pounced on a rebound after Nyland deflected a long-range shot from Morgan Rogers, slotting home the winner in the 93rd minute. The victory ended a 14-match scoring streak for Haaland, who had scored 27 times in that span and was substituted in the second half of extra time.

Post-match tensions emerged between England manager Thomas Tuchel and Bellingham. Tuchel described the performance as sloppy and not fast enough, stating the win was based purely on mentality and that his team had been lucky. When asked about these comments, Bellingham responded with a single word: Whatever.

Captain Harry Kane acted as a peacemaker, suggesting that Tuchel's desire for improvement is a positive if the team knows they can reach another level before the semifinals. Kane also noted that the conditions in Miami, characterized by heat and humidity, were almost more difficult than Mexico during the round of 16.

Bellingham and Kane now both have six goals in the tournament, placing them two goals behind Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. This is the first time in World Cup history that two teammates have each scored six goals in a single tournament.

For Norway, the quarterfinal appearance matched the deepest run in their history, equaling finishes from 1938 and 1998. Despite the loss, the achievement sparked massive celebrations in Oslo, where thousands gathered at the Royal Palace with fireworks and music.

England now advances to face the winner of the match between Argentina and Switzerland. That semifinal will take place on Wednesday in Atlanta. If Argentina wins, all four pre-tournament top seeds will have reached the semifinals.