MIAMI, July 12: Jude Bellingham struck twice to fire England into the FIFA World Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, bringing an end to the Scandinavian side’s historic campaign.
Norway, appearing in the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time after eliminating Brazil, took the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup despite England’s early dominance.
England responded just before halftime when Bellingham produced a composed finish in stoppage time to level the score. The match remained tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, forcing extra time.
Bellingham netted the decisive goal in the 93rd minute after Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland spilled Morgan Rogers’ shot, allowing the Real Madrid midfielder to pounce on the rebound.
Norway thought they had regained the lead in the 56th minute when Torbjørn Heggem found the net from a rebound following a corner. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out because Erling Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Elliot Anderson inside the penalty area.
Haaland, who had scored seven goals in the tournament and was among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot, failed to score for the first time in the competition. He was also denied by an excellent close-range save from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the first half before being substituted during extra time.
England registered 14 shots, eight of them on target, while Norway enjoyed 52 percent possession and managed 13 attempts.
With his latest brace, Bellingham moved to six goals in the tournament, level with England captain Harry Kane. France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi lead the Golden Boot race with eight goals each.
England will now advance to the World Cup semifinals, while Norway’s remarkable tournament comes to an end despite an impressive breakthrough campaign.
