ENGLAND moved to within one victory of reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966 after Jude Bellingham produced a brilliant two-goal display to inspire Thomas Tuchel’s side to a dramatic extra-time victory over Norway in Miami.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that England survived a tense quarter-final played in punishing heat and humidity, with Bellingham once again emerging as the talisman as the Three Lions booked a place in the last four, where they will face Argentina.
In a closely contested encounter, Norway struck first in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup’s dipping effort deceived England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and flew into the net.
England, however, responded immediately and predictably through Bellingham, who levelled the score in first-half stoppage time. The Real Madrid midfielder latched onto Anthony Gordon’s pass, took it perfectly in his stride and calmly beat Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
Tuchel was forced into changes at half-time, replacing the influential Declan Rice, who had been struggling with illness and injury, as well as Noni Madueke. Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka were introduced in a bid to inject fresh energy into the team.
Norway continued to threaten after the restart and thought they had regained the lead when Torbjorn Heggem found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out after Erling Haaland was adjudged to have needlessly shoved Elliot Anderson in the build-up. David Moller Wolfe also came close, rattling the crossbar with a header.
Haaland, who had enjoyed an outstanding tournament, struggled to stamp his authority on the contest and was eventually substituted at half-time in extra time.
England found the breakthrough three minutes into the additional period, with Bellingham once again proving decisive. The midfielder reacted quickest after Nyland could only parry a shot from substitute Morgan Rogers, pouncing to score the winning goal.
The victory sends England into their third World Cup semi-final since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy 60 years ago, with Tuchel’s men hoping to erase memories of defeats to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.
England were unable to reproduce the sparkling performance that saw them eliminate Mexico in the last 16 at the Azteca Stadium, appearing understandably fatigued after that exertion and the oppressive conditions in Miami.
Yet, as has become increasingly evident during this tournament, England continue to find inspiration in Bellingham.
The midfielder’s reaction after his superbly taken equaliser summed up his mentality. Having shown exceptional technique to beat Nyland three minutes into first-half stoppage time, Bellingham simply turned and ran back to the centre circle in businesslike fashion before rallying England’s supporters.
Both teams visibly tired in the sweltering second half, but Bellingham once again delivered the defining moment, capitalising on Nyland’s mistake to settle a contest decided by the finest of margins.
The brace takes the 23-year-old’s tally to six goals at the tournament as he continues what increasingly appears to be a personal mission to bring World Cup glory back to England.
For Norway, the defeat marked a disappointing end to an impressive campaign. Haaland had emerged as one of the stars of the competition, both on and off the pitch, with his seven goals helping Norway reach the quarter-finals and his personality endearing him to fans across the United States.
However, the Manchester City striker found this challenge a step too far despite threatening on a few occasions. He nearly capitalised on a lapse in concentration by John Stones in the first half and was left frustrated when, with Norway leading 1-0, Alexander Sorloth opted to go alone instead of passing to the unmarked Haaland, who had a clear route to goal.
His frustrations deepened when his shove on Anderson led to Heggem’s strike being disallowed after intervention from the video assistant referee.
Haaland appeared to realise immediately that the goal would not stand and celebrated only briefly before the decision was confirmed.
Although the tournament ended in disappointment for Norway, Haaland’s performances and personality have captured the imagination of football fans worldwide, while the team’s run to the quarter-finals has brought enormous pride to the Scandinavian nation.