​England booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after coming from behind to defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time, with Jude Bellingham once again making the decisive impact for Thomas Tuchel’s side. The Three Lions, pressed by stifling Miami heat, showed resilience to overturn a first-half deficit and set up a last-four clash with Argentina on Wednesday.
From an Arsenal perspective, four Gunners featured in the dramatic contest. Declan Rice and Noni Madueke were named in Tuchel’s starting XI, despite concerns about a sickness bug affecting Rice ahead of the match, while Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze began on the bench.
England dominated possession in the early stages but failed to impose themselves in the opening 45 minutes and fell behind in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross-shot looped over Jordan Pickford to hand Norway an unexpected lead. The Scandinavian side had opportunities to extend their advantage before the break, with Alexander Sørloth twice spurning decent chances, including a moment when he opted not to pass to Erling Haaland during a dangerous counter-attack.
Just before half-time, England were level thanks to the exceptional Jude Bellingham, who collected Anthony Gordon’s pass, charged into the penalty area and struck confidently into the bottom corner. To amplify their attacking threat, Tuchel switched things up at half-time, sending on Saka and Eze in place of Rice and Madueke.
The changes almost paid immediate dividends in the second half when Torbjørn Heggem’s goal for Norway was ruled out due to a foul by Haaland in the build-up. Norway continued to threaten and came within a whisker of retaking the lead when Kristoffer Ajer headed against the crossbar.
Saka immediately helped lift England’s intensity after his introduction, providing a sharper attacking threat down the right flank. His precise cross late in regular time flashed across the goalmouth and narrowly missed finding a teammate, underscoring the increasing danger England posed as the pitch opened up.
As extra time stretched on and penalties loomed, Bellingham again rose to the occasion. After Morgan Rogers’ powerful effort was parried by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, the Real Madrid midfielder reacted quickest to fire home the rebound, sealing a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The win sends England into only their fourth World Cup semi-final, where they will meet Argentina. Following the match, Sky Sports relayed Tuchel’s post-match reflections, in which the manager expressed delight at the result but admitted frustration with his side’s overall display, noting that England had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves despite reaching the last four.
For Arsenal supporters, attention now shifts to Wednesday’s semi-final, where Rice, Saka, Madueke and Eze will all be hoping to play pivotal roles as England aim to progress to the final four and chase glory.