England Reaches World Cup Semifinals with Bellingham Brace Against Norway

England advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the fourth time in history and the first since 2018, after a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, the tournament's surprise quarterfinalist. Jude Bellingham scored twice, overturning an early goal by Norway's Anders Schjelderup. The match featured controversy over England's equalizer, which came after a disputed goalkeeper clearance by Jordan Pickford that Norway claimed crossed the goal line but was allowed to continue, leading to Anthony Gordon assisting Bellingham's equalizer.

The game remained scoreless through regular time after Norway took the lead in the 36th minute. Notably, Norway's star striker Erling Haaland was substituted in the 105th minute in a puzzling decision. England failed to register a shot on target in the second half but benefited from tactical changes by coach Thomas Tuchel. Bellingham secured the win in the 93rd minute with his second goal, capitalizing on a poor save by Norway's goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland from a long-range shot by Morgan Rogers.

England now aims to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, the year they last won the tournament. The match was marked by a mix of tactical shifts, a refereeing controversy, and a standout performance by Bellingham, who scored his sixth goal of the World Cup in this game.