England are in another World Cup semifinal. The result is historic; the performance was anything but reassuring.
At a sweltering Miami Stadium early Sunday morning, according to Indian Standard Time, Jude Bellingham scored twice — first to rescue England before half-time and then to win the match three minutes into extra time — as Thomas Tuchel’s side edged Norway 2-1.
England reached the last four for only the fourth time in World Cup history, matching their runs in 1966, 1990 and 2018. It is also their fourth semifinal appearance in the past five major tournaments.
Yet their route through Miami was uneven, controversial and, by Tuchel’s own admission, fortunate.
Norway led through Andreas Schjelderup’s extraordinary first-half strike, later had a goal disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and controlled long spells after the break. They also left aggrieved over England’s equaliser, believing a goal kick had struck an overhead camera cable before Bellingham scored.
Fifa said its connected-ball data detected no contact.
For England, the debate can wait. They will face
Argentina in Atlanta on Thursday morning (as per India time), one victory away from the World Cup final.
For Norway, a first tournament appearance in 28 years ended in pain — but also with proof that their rise extends far beyond Erling Haaland.
| England vs Norway: Match at a glance |
| Category | Detail |
| Result | England beat Norway 2-1 after extra time |
| Norway scorer | Andreas Schjelderup, 36th minute |
| England scorers | Jude Bellingham, first-half stoppage time and 93rd minute |
| Venue | Miami Stadium |
| Attendance | 64478 |
| Major VAR decisions | Norway goal disallowed; England penalty overturned |
| England’s next match | Semifinal vs Argentina |
| Norway’s outcome | Eliminated after first World Cup quarterfinal |
Norway seize control after England’s bright start
England began with more possession but little penetration. Their passing was safe, their tempo slow, and their attack unable to translate territorial control into meaningful chances.
Tuchel was visibly animated during the hydration break, demanding greater urgency. What followed was the opposite of the response he wanted.
Norway suddenly accelerated.
In the 35th minute, Julian Ryerson crossed for Haaland, whose header was gathered by Jordan Pickford. A minute later, Patrick Berg robbed Harry Kane near halfway and released Schjelderup down the left.
The Norwegian winger faced Ezri Konsa, a centre-back being used as a makeshift full-back. Konsa showed him outside, apparently the correct defensive choice. Schjelderup shifted the ball onto his weaker left foot and struck what appeared to be a cross towards Haaland.
Instead, the ball flew over Pickford, hit the far side of the goal frame and went in.
Whether Schjelderup intended the finish may remain unclear. Its quality will not.
Norway's Andreas Schjelderup scores their first goal. Photo: Reuters
The goal unsettled England. Alexander Sorloth fired over, Martin Odegaard forced Pickford into a low save, and Norway then wasted a two-on-one opportunity in the 44th minute when Sorloth chose not to release Haaland.
That decision would become one of the match’s great regrets.
Bellingham makes the unlikely inevitable
England were drifting towards half-time behind when Bellingham imposed himself.
Anthony Gordon played cleverly across the edge of the area. Bellingham took one touch to guide the ball into the box, another to move beyond a defender, and then whipped his finish across Orjan Nyland into the far corner.
The movement was sharp. The execution was cleaner. England had created little, but Bellingham needed only a small opening to turn the emotional direction of the match.
It was the kind of intervention that has defined his tournament: not constant domination, but an uncanny feel for when a game is ready to be seized.
England's Jude Bellingham scores their first goal. Photo: Reuters
Kane then found the net, only for an offside decision to be confirmed by VAR. Still, England reached the break level after having appeared close to losing control entirely.
The equaliser, however, came with a controversy Norway never accepted.
Did the ball hit the sky-camera wire?
The move preceding Bellingham’s goal began with a Nyland goal kick. Norway’s players and coaching staff believed the ball struck one of the cables supporting the overhead camera before dropping near Elliot Anderson, who moved it to Gordon.
Gordon then supplied Bellingham.
Nyland and Norway coach Stale Solbakken immediately pointed towards the cable. Solbakken continued making his case to the officials while England celebrated and again at half-time.
Fifa said its connected-ball technology showed no contact.
The match ball contains a 500Hz inertial measurement sensor, which transmits data 500 times a second. Its primary purpose is to identify the exact moment of contact for offside decisions, but it can also help establish whether the ball has been touched.
Had the wire interfered with the ball, the correct restart could have been a dropped ball. But without clear proof of contact or meaningful interference, officials allowed play to continue and the goal stood.
Video appeared to some observers to show a slight change in trajectory. Fifa’s data said otherwise.
Norway were unconvinced. England were level.
Rice withdrawal costs England control
Declan Rice’s inclusion had appeared to be a major boost after he struggled with illness before the match. Once play began, however, it was clear he was not himself.
His movement lacked its usual power, his influence on possession was reduced, and even his dead-ball delivery was below his normal standard. Tuchel withdrew him at half-time, along with Noni Madueke.
Eberechi Eze replaced Rice and brought fresh energy, while Bukayo Saka offered more incision from the right. But neither change restored the midfield control England normally receive from a fully fit Rice.
Patrick Berg and Sander Berge began to dictate the central battle for Norway. England’s structure loosened, their passing became rushed, and much of the second half belonged to Solbakken’s side.
Tuchel later rejected any suggestion that this reflected a mentality problem.
“It’s not a mentality problem — this is pure mentality,” he said. “How can you ask about mentality now? This is pure mentality, you can bottle it up and sell it. It’s the quality of our games. That’s it. It has nothing to do with mentality.”
His distinction was clear: England showed courage. Their football was the problem.
VAR denies Norway a second goal
Ten minutes into the second half, Torbjorn Heggem appeared to restore Norway’s lead from a corner.
The celebrations did not last.
VAR identified a two-handed push by Haaland on Anderson before the delivery arrived. Under Fifa’s stricter approach to upper-body offences at set pieces, attackers can be penalised even when the infringement takes place before the ball is in play.
Haaland’s shove created the space from which he then challenged for the ball. Because his involvement was close to the decisive action, it formed part of the review.
The goal was disallowed and Norway were allowed to retake the corner.
Norway saw it as another decision going against them. The call, however, was easier to defend than the sky-camera dispute. The push was visible, involved both hands and affected a player directly involved in the set piece.
Haaland may have escaped similar contact in club football. At this World Cup, the threshold was different.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken looks on as referee Clement Turpin watches a replay on a VAR screen after Norway's Torbjorn Heggem scored a goal. Photo: Reuters
Norway push England towards the edge
The introduction of Oscar Bobb in the 67th minute gave Norway another surge.
Bobb carried the ball with pace and offered the kind of direct running that England had struggled to contain. David Moller Wolfe headed over Pickford and against the crossbar. Norway’s pressure grew, while England looked increasingly tired and fragmented.
Saka provided England’s most threatening moments. One cross flashed dangerously across goal in the 78th minute. Another low delivery from the byline went untouched through the area.
Djed Spence also caught Nyland lingering in possession late in regulation time, but England could not turn the error into a goal.
At the other end, Norway continued to look the more coherent side. Extra time felt inevitable, and for England, simply reaching it had begun to resemble a small victory.
Nyland spills, Bellingham pounces
England started extra time with greater urgency. Kane forced Nyland into a save with a header, before Morgan Rogers tried his luck from distance in the 93rd minute.
The shot should have been manageable. Nyland failed to hold it.
Bellingham anticipated the spill before anyone else. Although he initially appeared second favourite to reach the rebound, he accelerated into the space and drove the loose ball home.
For the second time in the match, England’s collective performance had faltered and Bellingham had supplied the correction.
The brace took him to six goals at the tournament and reinforced a quality that statistics do not fully capture: his attraction to decisive moments.
Bellingham does not merely participate in major matches. He finds the point at which they can be altered.
England's Jude Bellingham scores their second goal past Norway's Orjan Nyland. Photo: Reuters
England penalty overturned
There was still time for another VAR intervention.
England were initially awarded a penalty after Spence went down in the area. Referee Clement Turpin reviewed the incident and overturned his original decision.
The reversal mattered in the broader context of Norway’s grievances. VAR had not operated solely in England’s favour. It had ruled out Norway’s goal, but it also removed a late England penalty that might have ended the contest.
The score remained 2-1, leaving Norway close enough to force one more shift.
Referee Clement Turpin overturns the decision to award England a penalty after VAR review. Photo: Reuters
What happened to Haaland?
England kept Haaland scoreless for the first time in his past 16 matches for Norway.
He finished with the fewest touches of any starting player. Nyland, Norway’s goalkeeper, had more than twice as many. But low involvement is not unusual for Haaland; his game is often built around waiting at the edge of events before making one decisive movement.
This time, that movement never came.
He generated two headed attempts. The first lacked power and went to Pickford. The second was flicked wide from a corner. England crowded the middle, denied him space behind and prevented Norway’s wide players from finding him often enough.
Solbakken withdrew Haaland at half-time in extra time. The striker received treatment on the sideline, raising the possibility of a minor injury.
England's Jude Bellingham hugs Norway's Erling Haaland. Photo: Reuters
The decision was brave and ultimately unsuccessful. Jorgen Strand Larsen, his replacement, had only four touches and remained just as isolated.
Haaland leaves the tournament with seven goals and a transformed international reputation. His World Cup did not end with another defining finish, but Norway’s run would not have existed without him.
Norway fans react during the match. Photo: Reuters
England retreat and survive again
As Norway searched for an equaliser, Tuchel turned again to Dan Burn.
Bellingham, exhausted after carrying another major match, came off with around 10 minutes remaining. Burn entered to add height and authority to England’s defensive line, reprising the role he had played during the chaotic victory over Mexico.
England dropped deeper. Norway pushed bodies forward. Crosses arrived. Burn and the defenders attacked them.
There was no elegance in the closing phase, only resistance.
The final whistle sent England into celebration and left Solbakken in tears.
“I feel sorry for the lads, but this is top-level sport at its best or its most gruesome,” the Norway coach said. “We played fantastic football against a super team, but we didn’t make it.”
Tuchel celebrates the result, criticises the football
England had reached the semifinal, but Tuchel refused to dress the display as something it was not.
“The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance,” he said.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today.”
His judgement was severe but accurate.
England’s bravery was unquestionable. They had recovered from falling behind, survived Norway’s stronger second half and found a winner in extra time. As against Mexico, they showed they could withstand pressure and reach into reserves of endurance.
But courage cannot permanently compensate for a lack of control.
England head to Atlanta with questions over Rice’s health, fatigue among Bellingham and Kane, their makeshift right-back situation, and the ease with which Norway took command after half-time.
Tuchel believes England’s best display is still ahead.
“We will get better. We need to get better. Now it’s time for celebration,” he said.
Norway leave having changed their place in the game
Norway’s defeat was bitter because they had not merely stayed close to England. For long stretches, they were the better side.
They returned to the World Cup after a 28-year absence and reached their first quarterfinal. They eliminated Brazil. They showed they could press, possess, counter and control — not simply wait for Haaland to score.
Schjelderup announced himself with an extraordinary goal. Berg and Berge competed strongly in midfield. Odegaard gave the side intelligence and authority. Bobb changed the rhythm from the bench. Nyland’s mistake was decisive, but his tournament had included major performances.
“It is a bit bitter, but it has been an adventure,” Odegaard said. “We must be proud. We are here for the first time in a long time, and we are making our mark. The whole world is talking about us.”
That may be Norway’s real achievement. Their run no longer feels like an isolated adventure. It feels like the beginning of a team that belongs at this level.
Fans gather in Oslo to watch England vs Norway quarterfinal match. Photo: Reuters
England move on, but the warning travels with them
England will face Argentina in Atlanta on Thursday (India time). Victory would take them into the World Cup final against France or Spain at MetLife Stadium on July 20 (India time).
They have the resilience. They have tournament experience. They have Pickford, Kane and a squad with options from the bench.
Most importantly, they have Bellingham.
But England cannot assume another rescue will arrive on demand. Against Norway, they were disjointed, lost midfield control and survived disputed moments. Their mentality carried them; their football nearly betrayed them.
Bellingham found the equaliser. Bellingham found the winner. England found a route into the last four.
Tuchel’s message was the right one: celebrate the destination, but do not mistake it for proof that the journey was good enough.
 "Bellingham rescues flawed England as Norway's World Cup dream ends in Miami")
