​Jude Bellingham delivered the decisive go-ahead goal in the third minute of extra time, and England clung on for a 2-1 victory over Norway in a World Cup quarterfinal classic on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Bellingham was the hero again, scoring both of England’s goals to erase a 1-0 deficit and move level with teammate Harry Kane on six goals in this tournament. Anthony Gordon contributed the assist for the equalizer, and Jordan Pickford made three crucial saves to preserve England’s win.
With this triumph, England—60 years removed from its lone World Cup title—booked only their fourth semifinal appearance in team history and their second in the last three tournaments. Gareth Southgate’s side will face either Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday in Atlanta as they chase a first final since 1966.
The celebration for England’s captain came after a tense second half that produced few clear chances, leaving extra time to decide the winner. The dramatic moment arrived when substitute Morgan Rogers fired from outside the box, a shot that Orjan Nyland failed to gather, allowing the ball to deflect into the goalmouth. Bellingham pounced, racing in to beat his marker and slot the ball home for the easy putback.
Norway had taken an early lead in the 36th minute thanks to Andreas Schjelderup, and Nyland finished with six saves for the Vikings, who were competing in their first World Cup quarterfinal. The opening half belonged to England, who controlled much of the play for the first 30 minutes. The Three Lions earned a couple of free kicks just outside the box, but they couldn’t convert those chances into a meaningful scoring opportunity.
Haaland had a promising moment for Norway when a close-range header went straight into Pickford’s hands, momentarily stalling England’s forward push. England then attempted to construct an attack, but Kane was dispossessed from behind, allowing Norway to counter. From the left side of the box, Schjelderup unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that struck the far post and went in.
Kane stayed down, appealing for a foul, but the officials did not award one, and the goal stood following a VAR review. England’s equalizer arrived at the stroke of stoppage time in the first half, when Gordon delivered a cross that gave Bellingham too much space amid the Norway defense. He dribbled forward and, while falling, struck a left-footed shot across Nyland’s body for the goal.
England appeared poised to add a second before halftime when Kane floated a chip over Nyland, but he was ruled offside in the final moments of the half. It would have been a stunning second, but the whistle blew with the score level at 1-1.
Norway briefly appeared to have regained the lead in the 55th minute when Torbjorn Heggem converted a rebound after a chaotic corner sequence, but VAR intervened, as Haaland had pushed Elliot Anderson to the ground before the kick, nullifying the goal.
In the end, England’s persistence paid off as Bellingham’s late intervention in extra time sealed the result, sending England into the semifinals and keeping alive their hopes of a first World Cup trophy in decades.