England showed their championship mentality once again as Jude Bellingham inspired a stunning comeback victory over Norway to send the Three Lions into the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals.
Trailing for much of the contest against an inspired Norwegian side, Thomas Tuchel's men dug deep before Bellingham struck twice to seal a hard-fought 2-1 extra-time triumph.
The victory sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against defending champions Argentina, while Norway's historic World Cup journey comes to a heartbreaking end.
After a cagey opening, Norway slowly began to dictate proceedings and looked dangerous whenever Erling Haaland was involved. The striker first tested Jordan Pickford with a powerful header before Stale Solbakken's side deservedly broke the deadlock in the 36th minute.
Andreas Schjelderup timed his run perfectly before firing a brilliant cross-shot that nestled inside the far post, leaving Pickford with no chance and sending the Norwegian supporters into celebration.
Three Lions' Struggled To Score
England struggled to find their rhythm for large parts of the opening half but found the perfect response just before the interval. Jude Bellingham drove purposefully through midfield before keeping his composure to slot past Orjan Nyland and restore parity in first-half stoppage time.
Harry Kane thought he had completed the turnaround moments later, only for the assistant's flag to deny the England captain after an offside decision.
Norway continued to threaten after the restart and believed they had reclaimed the lead when Torbjorn Heggem bundled the ball into the net from a corner. However, a lengthy VAR review ruled the effort out after Erling Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Elliot Anderson in the build-up.
The Norwegians continued to pile on the pressure as Kristoffer Ajer rattled the crossbar with a towering header, while England almost stole the winner after Djed Spence capitalised on a loose clearance from Nyland, only for the goalkeeper to recover in time.
Bellingham's Heroics
With neither side able to find the decisive goal, the contest moved into extra time. England's quality eventually proved decisive.
Morgan Rogers forced a fierce save from Nyland before the rebound fell kindly for Bellingham, who reacted quickest inside the six-yard box to fire home his second goal of the night in the 93rd minute.
The Real Madrid was happy with his performance and explained the winning mantra. Jude Bellingham said,"Character, perseverance [got us through]; even when things weren't working, we gave everything we got. I'm so proud of the team. It was a victory for everyone. The whole country wins – everyone behind us, the staff."
Norway threw everything forward in search of another equaliser but England held firm to secure another dramatic knockout victory.
For Norway, the defeat ends a remarkable campaign that saw them reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in history, with Erling Haaland and his teammates leaving the tournament with plenty of pride despite the heartbreaking exit.
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Norway vs England Match Result: Norway 1-2 England (AET)
Goalscorers:
Norway – Andreas Schjelderup (36')
England – Jude Bellingham (45+2', 90+3')