Havana, July 12 (RHC) – England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time and advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a brace from midfielder Jude Bellingham.
At Miami Stadium, the Three Lions rallied from behind after conceding an early goal to Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup, securing their qualification thanks to two goals from Bellingham, who also played a key role in England’s victory over Mexico in the Round of 16.
Norway opened the scoring in the first half with a shot from Schjelderup on the left wing that surprised goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after hitting the post.
However, in first-half stoppage time, Bellingham leveled the score, receiving a pass from Anthony Gordon, dribbling past two defenders, and finishing with a low, driven shot across goal. The Norwegian team protested a possible interference from the aerial camera on the ball, but FIFA dismissed this possibility after reviewing the ball’s sensor data.
In the second half, England improved with the introduction of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, although Norway came close to regaining the lead with a goal disallowed by VAR due to a previous foul by Erling Haaland and a header from Kristoffer Ajer that crashed against the crossbar.
The decisive goal came in extra time, when a rebound conceded by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, after a powerful shot from Morgan Rogers, was pounced upon by Bellingham to score the winning goal and his sixth of the tournament.
Shortly afterward, French referee Clément Turpin awarded England a penalty, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
In the final minutes, Norway tried to respond, but failed to seriously trouble the English defense, who secured the victory and passage to the semifinals.
