England secured a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals after edging Norway 2-1 in a hard-fought quarterfinal clash. Norway opened the scoring through what proved to be a cross-cum-shot from Andreas Schjelderup, before Jude Bellingham equalized deep into first-half stoppage time.
The Vikings thought they had regained the lead in the second half, but their goal was disallowed following a VAR review for a foul on Elliot Anderson during the build-up. Erling Haaland was later forced off with an injury during extra time, while Norway struggled to respond after England took the lead following a mistake by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, as reported by Sports Mole.
Norway vs England
Bellingham has now scored four goals in the knockout stage of the tournament. He almost single-handedly carried England past Mexico with a brace and several outstanding defensive contributions before adding both of England’s goals against Norway.
His equalizer came just before halftime, as he surged into the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball past Nyland.
Bellingham then netted the winning goal in extra time, reacting quickest to convert the rebound after Nyland failed to hold onto a long-range effort from Morgan Rogers.
His first goal was brilliantly executed and arrived at a crucial moment, while the winner once again demonstrated his instinct for being in the right place at the right time.
Makes History
At 23 years and 12 days old, Jude Bellingham became the second-youngest player ever to score two or more goals in consecutive FIFA World Cup knockout matches, behind only Pelé, who achieved the feat in 1958 at the age of 17 years and 249 days.
No England player has now scored more non-penalty goals at the FIFA World Cup than Bellingham. His tally of six non-penalty goals equals the long-standing record set by Gary Lineker, who scored six goals at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of England’s most influential players alongside Harry Kane and has scored more goals than any other midfielder at this year’s tournament.
In fact, only Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland have scored more goals than Bellingham at the 2026 World Cup so far.
His outstanding performances have been instrumental in England’s run to the semifinals. However, it remains to be seen how long he can sustain this remarkable level of performance, particularly given the immense physical demands of England’s matches against Mexico and Norway and the potential impact on his energetic playing style.***
