England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals after battling back from a goal down to defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time in a pulsating quarter-final clash.
Before kick-off, a sombre mood engulfed the stadium as both teams observed a minute’s silence in honour of late South African international and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams, whose passing shocked the football world.
With a place in the last four at stake, both sides produced an entertaining contest from the opening whistle. Norway struck the first blow in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup latched onto a pass inside the penalty area before calmly firing m into the far corner beyond Jordan Pickford.
The Scandinavians nearly doubled their advantage moments before the interval when Alexander Sørloth burst through on goal, but a timely intervention from the England defence denied the striker at the crucial moment.
England found their breakthrough deep into first-half stoppage time. Jude Bellingham arrived at the right place to restore parity, finishing confidently to make it 1-1 and send the teams into the break level.
Norway thought they had reclaimed the lead early in the second half, only for celebrations to be cut short after VAR ruled out the goal for a foul on Anderson in the build-up.
The remainder of normal time saw both teams exchange attacks in a thrilling end-to-end encounter, but neither could find the decisive goal as the contest headed into extra time.
England seized the initiative just two minutes into the additional period. Morgan Rogers’ effort was spilled by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, and Bellingham reacted quickest to pounce on the rebound, slotting home his second goal of the night in the 92nd minute to give the Three Lions a 2-1 advantage.
Norway pushed desperately for another equaliser, but England stood firm to preserve their lead and secure passage to the semi-finals.
Bellingham’s match-winning brace also earned him a place in the history books, drawing level with teammate Harry Kane on the tournament’s scoring chart. It marks the first time in FIFA World Cup history that two teammates have shared the same number of goals at this stage of the competition.
England now march into the semi-finals full of confidence after another resilient display, while Norway bow out after a courageous performance that pushed the European giants all the way.
