For a team that had knocked out Brazil, refused to fear England and spent more than two hours believing they could reach a first-ever World Cup semi-final, Norway deserved a better ending than this.
They matched England stride for stride in Miami, asked far more questions than many expected and kept coming until the final whistle. But knockout football has a cruel way of reducing everything to one or two moments, and England once again had the 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, ending one of the stories of the tournament in the process. Thomas Tuchel’s side were far from their fluent best, but when the tie drifted into moments rather than momentum, Bellingham made sure England stayed alive.
England had begun with purpose, moving the ball sharply and asking Norway to defend deep, yet there was a familiar lack of incision. Norway, meanwhile, looked increasingly comfortable as the half wore on. Martin Odegaard settled into the contest, Andreas Schjelderup found space down the left and Erling Haaland kept England’s centre-backs occupied even without many clear sights of goal.
The breakthrough arrived in spectacular fashion when Schjelderup’s curling effort crashed in off the post, only for Bellingham to restore parity before half-time with a thunderous finish after Anthony Gordon’s clever cutback.
If the equaliser was meant to knock the wind out of Norway, nobody told the men in red.
THE HAALAND THREAT NEUTRALISED
England’s route to the semi-finals was built as much on their defending as Bellingham’s brilliance. Knowing Norway’s seven-goal talisman would always be the biggest threat, Thomas Tuchel set his side up to suffocate Haaland rather than chase the ball. Marc Guehi rarely let him turn, John Stones matched him stride for stride, and Jordan Pickford swept up whenever Norway looked to release their captain in behind.
Norway still found ways to hurt England. Torbjorn Heggem had a goal ruled out after VAR spotted Haaland’s foul on Elliot Anderson in the build-up, Kristoffer Ajer rattled the crossbar and Patrick Berg went agonisingly close from distance. Yet through all the pressure, England never allowed Haaland the one thing he thrives on: clear chances inside the box.
It was a defensive performance deserving of the highest praise. Guehi and Stones won the individual 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 side in 636 days to keep him scoreless in a competitive international for Norway.
BELLINGHAM DOES IT AGAIN
The decisive moment finally arrived through an error Norway had scarcely deserved. Morgan Rogers’ low effort should have been a routine take for Orjan Nyland, but the goalkeeper spilled the ball straight into Bellingham’s path and England’s talisman needed no second invitation. It was the simplest finish of his night, yet perhaps the most important, taking him level with Pele for World Cup goals before the age of 24.
There was still time for more twists. England thought they had a penalty before VAR overturned the decision, Marc Guehi produced a magnificent block to deny Nusa, John Stones continued to repel Norway’s aerial assault and Jordan Pickford calmly dealt with wave after wave of late pressure.
Even after Haaland was withdrawn through apparent fatigue, Norway kept pouring bodies forward, refusing to let their remarkable tournament end quietly.
It eventually did, but not without leaving a mark. Norway arrived at this World Cup hoping simply to escape their group. They leave having beaten Brazil, pushed one of the favourites to extra time and shown they belong on this stage.
The final whistle was greeted less with celebration than relief by England’s players. They had ended Norway’s dream run, but only after being dragged into the kind of scrap World Cups are built on. Tuchel’s side march into the last four knowing tougher tests almost certainly lie ahead.
Norway, meanwhile, head home with their reputation transformed, having shown that their run to the quarter-finals was no fluke and that, on another night, it could just as easily have been them preparing to face either Argentina or Switzerland for a place in the World Cup final.
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