Bellingham outsmarts the Norwegians – England reach the semifinals after extra time!

In a match that featured several dramatic twists across both halves and the additional 30 minutes, England relied on their greater experience and the outstanding individual quality of Jude Bellingham to secure the victory.

Bellingham scored twice and emerged as the undisputed hero for the Three Lions, sending them into yet another World Cup semifinal.

The match was also overshadowed by several controversial refereeing decisions, with Clément Turpin delivering, at the very least, an underwhelming performance.

England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals. The two teams are scheduled to meet at 3:00 a.m. in Kansas City.

The start of the second half brought another controversial moment. Torbjørn Heggem found the back of the net in the 55th minute to restore Norway's lead, but after a VAR review the goal was disallowed because of a foul by Erling Haaland in the attacking phase just before the set piece, in accordance with a rule introduced specifically for this World Cup.

Despite the setback, Norway remained the more dangerous side. Kristoffer Ajer struck the crossbar from a corner in the 75th minute, while England's best chance in normal time came in the 87th minute, when Norway's defense made a crucial last-ditch intervention to prevent Bukayo Saka from picking out Eberechi Eze and Harry Kane in front of goal.

The match was decided early in extra time. After Ørjan Nyland produced two excellent saves—first denying Kane and then Morgan Rogers—the rebound fell to Bellingham, who calmly slotted home in the 93rd minute to make it 2–1 and complete England's comeback.

England were awarded a penalty in the 100th minute, but referee Clément Turpin overturned his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor, ruling that there had been no foul on Djed Spence.

Norway pushed hard for an equalizer until the final whistle but were unable to find a breakthrough, even after head coach Ståle Solbakken made the surprising decision to substitute Erling Haaland during the second period of extra time.

England held on to their lead and booked their place in the World Cup semifinals. The undisputed hero for the Three Lions was Jude Bellingham, whose two goals inspired a remarkable comeback and sent his side into the last four.