Bellingham saves England as Haaland’s quiet night ends Norway’s dream
For a team that knocked out Brazil, refused to be intimidated by England and spent more than two hours believing they could reach their first ever World Cup semi-final, Norway deserved a better ending than this.
They matched England’s pace in Miami, asking far more questions than many expected and going all the way to the final whistle. But knockout football has a cruel way of reducing everything to a moment or two, and once again England had a man who lives for them.
Norway vs England FIFA World Cup 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
Jude Bellingham struck twice as England beat Norway 2-1 on Saturday to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals and end one of the tournament’s storylines. Thomas Tuchel’s side were far from the best, but when the tie swung to moments rather than momentum, Bellingham kept England alive.
England started with purpose, moving the ball fiercely and asking Norway to defend deep, but the familiar incision was missing. Norway, meanwhile, looked more and more comfortable as the half got dressed. Martin Odegaard settled into the fray, Andreas Schjelderup found space on the left and Erling Haaland kept England’s centre-backs busy even without many clear targets.
The breakthrough came in spectacular fashion when Schjelderup’s curling effort crashed off the post, only for Bellingham to restore parity before half-time with a thunderous finish after Anthony Gordon’s clever cutback.
If the equalizer was to knock the wind out of Norway, no one told the men in red.
HAALAND THREAT NEUTRALIZED
England’s run to the semi-finals was built on their defense as much as Bellingham’s brilliance. Knowing that Norway’s seven-goal talisman would always be the biggest threat, Thomas Tuchel suffocated Haaland rather than chasing the ball. Marc Guehi rarely let him turn, John Stones matched him step by step and Jordan Pickford swept every time Norway looked to let their captain go from behind.
Norway still found ways to hurt England. Torbjorn Heggem had a goal disallowed after VAR flagged Haaland’s foul on Elliot Anderson in the set-piece, Kristoffer Ajer rattled the crossbar and Patrick Berg went agonizingly close from distance. Yet despite all the pressure, England never allowed Haaland the one thing he thrives on: clear-cut chances in the box. Haaland ended his dream 2026 FIFA World Cup in silence. (Photo: Reuters)
It was a defensive performance that deserves the highest praise. Guehi and Stones won the one-on-one battle, Pickford commanded his area and once Tuchel switched to a back five, England were content to defend deep if it meant keeping Haaland quiet. The Manchester City striker arrived with seven goals and the Golden Boot firmly in his sights, but England became the first team in 636 days to keep him scoreless in Norway’s rival international.
BELLINGHAM DOES IT AGAIN
The decisive moment finally came with a mistake that Norway barely deserved. Morgan Rogers’ low effort should have been routine for Orjan Nyland but the keeper spilled the ball straight into Bellingham’s path and the England talisman needed no further prompting. It was the easiest finish of his evening, but perhaps the most important, bringing him level with Pelé’s finish at the World Cup 24 years ago.
There was still time for further twists and turns. England thought they had a penalty before VAR overturned the decision, Marc Guehi produced a wonderful block to deny Nusa, John Stones continued to repel Norway’s aerial attack and Jordan Pickford calmly dealt with wave after wave of late pressure.
Even after Haaland was withdrawn due to apparent fatigue, Norway kept churning bodies forward and refused to let their remarkable tournament end quietly.
In the end, it did, but not without leaving a mark. Norway came into this World Cup hoping to simply escape their group. They leave after beating Brazil, pushing one of the favorites to overtime and showing they belong on this stage.
The final whistle was greeted with less celebration than relief by the England players. They ended Norway’s dream, but only after being dragged into the scrap on which World Cups are built. Tuchel’s side march into the last four knowing that tougher tests almost certainly lie ahead. England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals. (Photo: Reuters)
Norway, meanwhile, returned home with a transformed reputation as they showed that their quarter-final run was no fluke and that they could just as easily have set themselves up to battle Argentina or Switzerland for a place in the World Cup finals on another night.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
Jul 12, 2026 05:46 IST