MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jude Bellingham propelled England into the World Cup semifinals, scoring twice to help the Three Lions overcome a 1-0 deficit and secure a 2-1 victory in extra time on Saturday, dashing Norway‘s hopes of reaching the final four for the first time.
The Real Madrid midfielder is now tied with teammate Harry Kane at six goals in the tournament, trailing only behind France‘s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who have eight each. Bellingham had previously netted twice in the round of 16 as England defeated co-hosts Mexico.
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With this victory, England has reached the semifinals of the World Cup for the second time in three tournaments, where they will face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
England hasn’t appeared in a World Cup final since their sole title win as hosts in 1966.
Despite the victory, coach Thomas Tuchel voiced concerns about the team’s performance.
“The result is fantastic; we’re in the last four, which is amazing, but I’m not satisfied with the performance,” Tuchel stated. “The commitment is there, but we made things very challenging for ourselves with our play — too many technical errors and not enough urgency — we were fortunate today.”
Bellingham, however, downplayed his coach’s criticisms.
“Well, whatever,” he remarked. “It’s tough out there, everyone put in a hard shift, so I appreciate all the players who worked hard again.”
Norway took the lead in the 36th minute with a left-footed strike from Andreas Schjelderup that caught England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford off guard, hitting the far post before finding the net, but Bellingham equalized in first-half stoppage time.
Missed opportunities defined the match as both Kane and Norway’s Torbjørn Heggem had goals disallowed for offside and foul play, respectively, while both teams contended with the stifling Miami heat.
After extra time commenced without a winner, Bellingham scored a close-range goal just three minutes in, giving England the lead.
Interestingly, Norway coach Ståle Solbakken unexpectedly substituted striker Erling Haaland with Jørgen Strand Larsen at halftime of the extra period as players on both teams struggled in the heat.
England held on for the win amid several contentious moments throughout the match.
Before Bellingham’s equalizer, a disputed incident occurred when a Norway goal kick appeared to strike an overhead camera cable before landing at the feet of England’s Elliot Anderson.
The ball was eventually passed to Bellingham, who scored with a low shot into the far corner. According to the rules, had the ball’s contact with the cable been acknowledged, play should have stopped for a drop ball.
Later in the match, England was awarded a penalty while leading 2-1 in extra time after Djed Spence was fouled by Oscar Bobb, but it was overturned after a video review.
Report contributed by The Associated Press.