England advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup on Saturday, needing extra time and a second goal from Jude Bellingham to see off a stubborn Norway side 2-1 in a quarterfinal defined by suffocating Florida heat and late drama.
Kickoff temperatures at Hard Rock Stadium reached 90 degrees, with a heat index nearing 108, and the conditions shaped a cautious opening half in which both sides struggled to sustain their usual tempo. Norway broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup drilled a left-footed strike past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, marking the fifth time at this World Cup that Norway had scored first. Erling Haaland had tested England moments earlier with a header that briefly lifted the crowd, but it was his teammate who found the net.
England responded just before the interval. Anthony Gordon drove forward from the left and cut the ball back for Bellingham, who shifted the ball onto his right foot, created space on the edge of the area and finished low past goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland to level the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
The second half turned into a war of attrition in the heat. Norway thought they had retaken the lead when Torbjørn Heggem converted from a corner. Still, the goal was disallowed after a video review found Haaland had fouled Manchester City teammate Elliot Anderson in the buildup. Chances grew scarce as fatigue set in, and the World Cup quarterfinal went to extra time still level at 1-1.
Bellingham settled it early in the additional period. Nyland could only parry a strike from Morgan Rogers, and Bellingham arrived first to turn the rebound into the net, sending England into the semifinals for the first time since 2018, when they lost to Croatia at the same stage. England survived a late penalty appeal from Djed Spence that was overturned on review before closing out the win.
“Character, perseverance, even when things weren’t working,” Bellingham said afterward when asked what carried England through the contest. Manager Thomas Tuchel was more measured in his assessment of the performance despite the result. “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said. “Result is fantastic, the last four are amazing, but not happy with the performance.”
Bellingham’s brace pushed his tournament tally to six goals and made him the first English player to score twice or more in multiple World Cup knockout matches at a single tournament. At 23, he now sits level with Pelé for goals scored before turning 24, trailing only Kylian Mbappé. For Haaland and Norway, the run ended at the quarterfinal stage, the furthest the Norwegians have ever advanced at a World Cup, marking their first appearance at the tournament, where they were defeated by England. Haaland’s streak of scoring in 14 consecutive competitive matches for Norway also came to a close.
There was brief controversy in the first half when a television camera cable dropped onto the field near the passage of play that led to Bellingham’s equalizer, prompting Norway’s coaching staff to question whether the ball had struck it. FIFA later said it found no evidence of contact between the ball and the wire.
England, World Cup champions in 1966, will face Argentina next in the semifinals on July 15 in Atlanta, continuing a tournament in which the Three Lions have twice needed extra time to advance through the knockout rounds. It marks England’s fourth World Cup semifinal appearance and sets up a heavyweight clash as the competition enters its final week.
