Bellingham's Brace Sends England Into World Cup 2026 Semifinal

Jude Bellingham was England's hero once again, scoring twice as the Three Lions came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time and reach the World Cup 2026 semifinal for the first time since 2018. The result ended Norway's historic run in their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal, played in searing heat at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday.

Schjelderup Stuns England Before Bellingham Levels

Andreas Schjelderup fired Norway into a shock lead in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, with intense humidity making for draining conditions throughout. England were rattled in the opening period, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford forced into a save from Martin Odegaard before Bellingham pulled his team level just before half-time, collecting Anthony Gordon's pass and slotting home on his weaker left foot.

Haaland Foul Rules Out Norway's Second Goal

Norway thought they had retaken the lead in the second half when Torbjorn Heggem turned in at the back post, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review found Erling Haaland had fouled his Manchester City teammate Elliot Anderson before the corner was taken. Norway's Kristoffer Ajer later struck the crossbar from another corner as both sides visibly wilted in the heat, forcing the match into extra time.

Bellingham's Extra-Time Winner

Bellingham struck again in extra time after Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland spilled a long-range effort from substitute Morgan Rogers, pouncing to net his sixth goal of the tournament. England were awarded a penalty shortly afterward, but VAR intervened in Norway's favour, ruling that Djed Spence had initiated the contact inside the box. Norway's resistance had already been broken by that stage, with an exhausted Haaland watching from the bench after being substituted at the interval of extra time.

End of Haaland's Historic Streak

The result ended Haaland's remarkable run of scoring in 14 consecutive competitive matches for Norway, a streak that had made him one of the most searched athletes in the world during this World Cup, with global search interest in his name reportedly surging by several hundred percent during the tournament. His exit against "the land of his birth", as he was born in Leeds, added an emotional edge to Norway's World Cup 2026 quarterfinal defeat.

Tuchel Admits England 'Were Lucky'

England head coach Thomas Tuchel was candid in his assessment after the match. "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It's amazing but not happy with the performance," he said. "The commitment is there, but we made life difficult for ourselves in the way we played - sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today."

What's Next

England will now face the winner of the Argentina vs Switzerland quarterfinal in the World Cup 2026 semifinal on Wednesday, July 15, as they chase a first World Cup final appearance in 60 years. It marks the second time in three matches that England have won a knockout game after conceding first, a feat the side had not managed since the 1966 World Cup final before this tournament.