Jude Bellingham produced another match-winning performance as England came from behind to defeat Norway after extra time and book a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
The Real Madrid midfielder scored twice in a dramatic 2-1 victory in Miami, keeping England’s dream of reaching a first men’s World Cup final since 1966 firmly alive.
Thomas Tuchel’s men endured a difficult evening in sweltering heat and humidity and found themselves trailing after 36 minutes when Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup beat goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a dipping strike.
However, England responded just before the interval through Bellingham, who latched onto Anthony Gordon’s pass before calmly finishing past Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to level the scores.
Tuchel reshuffled his side at half-time, replacing the injured and unwell Declan Rice along with Noni Madueke, introducing Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka in an effort to regain control.
Norway threatened to reclaim the lead after the restart, but Torbjorn Heggem’s effort was ruled out after Erling Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Elliot Anderson in the build-up. David Moller Wolfe also came close, rattling the crossbar as England survived several scares.
With the contest heading into extra time, Bellingham once again proved decisive. Just three minutes into the additional period, he reacted quickest after Nyland spilled a shot from substitute Morgan Rogers, firing home the winner to send England into the last four.
The victory sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against defending champions Argentina, with England hoping to end decades of World Cup heartbreak.
It will be England’s third World Cup semi-final appearance since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966, following defeats to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.
Tuchel’s side will now seek to overcome Argentina and move one step closer to ending a 60-year wait for football’s biggest prize.
