Bellingham Brace Books England Semifinal Ticket at World Cup

England advanced to the World Cup semi-finals after a hard-fought 2-1 extra-time win against Norway in Miami. Jude Bellingham was the hero for England, scoring twice to secure the victory. This follows his brace in the previous match against Mexico.

Bellingham's goals, his sixth and seventh of the tournament, put him on par with Harry Kane and just one behind top scorer Erling Haaland, who had a subdued performance for Norway. The match was affected by the hot and humid Florida conditions.

England will now play either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals, marking only the third time in their history they have reached this stage. The team had to overcome an early setback when Norway's Andreas Schjelderup scored with a cross-shot that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford couldn't save.

Norway felt aggrieved that Bellingham's equalizer was allowed to stand, claiming a goal kick had struck an overhead camera cable. However, FIFA stated the ball's sensor did not register contact. Norway also missed chances to extend their lead before Bellingham's late heroics.

England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed mixed feelings after the match, stating, "The result is fantastic – we’re in the last four – but I’m not happy with the performance. We got lucky today. We need to play better." The win also saw Jordan Pickford become England's most-capped goalkeeper at World Cups.

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We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic – we’re in the last four – but I’m not happy with the performance. We got lucky today. We need to play better. We will get better, we need to get better.