Bellingham double fires England past Norway into World Cup semis

Jude Bellingham's brace, capped by an extra-time winner, propelled England to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norway, securing their place in the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time. The match, held at Miami Stadium, saw a tense battle unfold after Norway initially took the lead. Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a spectacular strike, momentarily stunning the English side. However, Bellingham responded just before halftime, leveling the score and injecting renewed energy into the game. The teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 through regulation time, setting the stage for a dramatic extra period. Three minutes into extra time, Morgan Rogers unleashed a long-range shot that Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland could only parry. Bellingham was quickest to react, pouncing on the rebound to score the decisive goal, much to the delight of the 64,478 spectators. England's victory sets up a semi-final clash against either Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta. The team is on a quest to replicate their historic 1966 World Cup triumph, marking their fourth semi-final appearance in the last five major tournaments. Despite the crucial win, England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance, citing sloppiness, numerous technical errors, and a lack of pace. "We were lucky today," Tuchel admitted, highlighting the team's struggle to make the game easier for themselves. Norway, despite exiting the tournament after their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, left with their heads held high. They felt they deserved more from the match, particularly as England's star striker Erling Haaland was kept scoreless for the first time in 16 international appearances. Norway skipper Martin Odegaard described the exit as "bitter" but emphasized the team's pride in their historic run. "The whole world is talking about us," Odegaard stated, reflecting on their significant mark on the tournament. The first half was characterized by a cagey affair, possibly due to the stifling heat. However, Norway came alive when Julian Ryerson crossed for Haaland, whose header was saved by Jordan Pickford. Shortly after, Patrick Berg dispossessed Harry Kane, leading to Schjelderup's impressive goal. Norway had a chance to extend their lead before halftime, but Alexander Sorloth opted not to pass to Haaland in a two-on-one situation, allowing England's defense to recover.

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The result is fantastic. We're in the last four. It's amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance. We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today.