Jude Bellingham scored twice as England survived a major scare from Norway to reach the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 extra-time victory in Florida on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel’s side fell behind against one of the tournament surprise packages in the first half after Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, putting the underdogs in sight of another historic result after their stunning run to the quarterfinals which included a memorable 2-1 win over five time Champions Brazil in the Round of 16.
The Three Lions responded just before the interval when Bellingham struck to level the contest. The Real Madrid midfielder showed his attacking instincts inside the box, reacting quickly to keep England alive after Norway had frustrated them for much of the opening period.
The game remained finely balanced after the restart, with neither side able to find a decisive breakthrough inside 90 minutes Norway continued to pose a threat through their attacking players, while England relied on their experience and individual quality to create opportunities.
The decisive moment arrived three minutes into extra time when Bellingham completed his brace, finishing after Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland failed to fully deal with the situation. The goal secured England’s place in the last four and ended the Vikings memorable campaign.
The victory continued an impressive tournament for Bellingham, who has emerged as one of England’s most influential players during their knockout-stage run. For Norway, the defeat brought an end to a historic World Cup journey that included a first appearance in the quarterfinals since 1998.
The Three Lions will battle Argentina next in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The defending champions defeated Switzerland 3-1 following extra time in a hard-fought quarterfinal on the same day.
Alexis Mac Allister gave Argentina the perfect start in the 10th minute, heading home to put the defending champions in front. Switzerland gradually grew into the match and found an equalizer in the 67th minute when Dan Ndoye finished from close range to force the contest into extra time.
Switzerland’s hopes suffered a major blow late in regulation when Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card following a VAR review under FIFA’s mistaken-identity protocol, leaving Murat Yakin’s side to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Argentina finally regained the lead in the 112th minute as Julian Alvarez found space in the box and struck a clinical shot into the net, before Lautaro Martinez added a third goal deep into extra-time stoppage time to seal the victory after Switzerland were forced to commit more players into forward positions in search of a second equalizer.
The result kept Argentina’s title defense alive after another dramatic knockout match. Lionel Scaloni’s side had also needed a late comeback to eliminate Egypt in the round of 16 and Cape Verde in the round of 32. However, their depth, composure and big tournament experience was again a big factor which helped them overcome challenges and get over the line.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s impressive run ended after reaching the last eight for the first time since 1954.
