Jude Bellingham delivered another unforgettable performance as his extra time winner secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for England over Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals at Miami Stadium, sending the Three Lions into the last four for the first time since 2018.
Tournament returnees Norway came within touching distance of a famous upset, but England once again showed resilience to keep their dream of ending 60 years of World Cup heartbreak alive.
Before kick-off, both teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams, who tragically passed away just weeks after featuring at this World Cup.
England dominated possession from the opening stages against a Norway side they had beaten in seven of their previous 12 meetings. However, clear chances proved difficult to convert early on.
Jude Bellingham almost opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Elliot Anderson delivered an inviting cross, but the Real Madrid midfielder could only glance his header wide of the far post.
England continued to pile on the pressure three minutes later. Lewis O’Reilly’s teasing cross almost found Noni Madueke before the Arsenal winger raced to the byline and drilled a dangerous low cross into the six yard box. O’Reilly arrived late but could not get enough on his effort as Julian Ryerson cleared the danger.
Harry Kane reached another milestone in the 30th minute by earning his 120th England cap, drawing level with Wayne Rooney as the men’s national team’s second highest appearance maker behind Peter Shilton.
Norway gradually settled into the contest and nearly punished England’s mistake in the 34th minute after John Stones lost possession inside his own penalty area. Fortunately for England, Jordan Pickford reacted quickly to prevent Erling Haaland from capitalising.
Pickford produced another important save moments later, comfortably collecting Haaland’s close range header after Ryerson delivered an excellent cross from the right.
Norway stunned England in the 36th minute with their first real breakthrough. Kane lost possession deep inside England’s half before Martin Odegaard quickly switched play to Andreas Schjelderup. The winger drove at Ezri Konsa before sending what appeared to be a cross towards goal. Instead, the ball clipped the upright and flew into the top corner beyond Pickford to give Norway a 1-0 lead.
The Vikings nearly doubled their advantage before the break. Alexander Sorloth fired over from close range before Pickford denied Odegaard with another smart save from the edge of the box.
England responded at the perfect moment. Deep into first half stoppage time, Anthony Gordon skipped past Ryerson before cutting the ball back to Bellingham. The midfielder burst into the area, rounded Heggem and calmly slotted his finish beneath Orjan Nyland to level the score at 1-1.
England almost completed the turnaround immediately after the restart when Kane tested Nyland from long range before appearing to chip the Norwegian goalkeeper moments later. However, the offside flag ruled out the captain’s finish.
Despite England enjoying more possession, Norway continued to threaten after the interval. Thomas Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka at half-time in an attempt to inject more creativity into his side.
Norway thought they had regained the lead in the 55th minute after Heggem converted from close range following a corner. However, VAR intervened and ruled the goal out after Haaland was penalised for fouling Elliot Anderson in the build-up.
England survived another huge scare in the 76th minute when Kristoffer Ajer’s looping header bounced off the crossbar before Haaland fired the rebound into the side netting.
Saka almost created a late winner three minutes from time with a brilliant run and cross across the face of goal, but Fredrik Aursnes produced a crucial clearance ahead of both Kane and Eberechi Eze.
Norway continued to push in stoppage time, yet Pickford denied Aursnes from a tight angle before Bellingham headed narrowly wide as neither side could find a winner inside 90 minutes.
Extra time brought immediate drama. Nyland somehow clawed away Kane’s powerful header in the 92nd minute after Saka’s corner looked destined for the top corner.
England finally found the breakthrough a minute later. Marc Guehi and Eze recycled possession before Morgan Rogers unleashed a powerful effort from 25 yards. Nyland could only spill the shot into Bellingham’s path, and the midfielder reacted quickest to tap home his second goal of the night and put England ahead for the first time.
The strike also underlined Bellingham’s remarkable tournament. Since 1966, only Harry Kane with 25 goal involvements and David Beckham with 14 have contributed more goals for England at major tournaments than Bellingham’s 12, made up of nine goals and three assists, matching Gary Lineker’s tally.
England looked set to extend their lead when the referee awarded a penalty after Djed Spence went down inside the box in the 99th minute. However, a VAR review overturned the decision after officials ruled Spence had deliberately initiated the contact with Oscar Bobb.
Norway refused to surrender. Stale Solbakken surprisingly replaced Haaland with Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 105th minute, while Patrick Berg fired narrowly over shortly afterwards.
Nyland kept Norway alive with two outstanding saves in quick succession, first denying Spence before reacting brilliantly to stop Saka’s rebound from close range.
England’s defence stood firm during the closing stages, with John Stones making a vital block before Bobb blazed Norway’s final opportunity over the crossbar.
The result also ended one of international football’s longest scoring streaks. England became the first team to stop Haaland from scoring in a competitive match for Norway since Austria achieved the feat in October 2024, ending a run that had lasted 636 days.
When the final whistle sounded, England booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals for only the fourth time in their history. It was another gritty and determined performance rather than a glamorous one, but Thomas Tuchel’s side once again found a way to win when it mattered most.
England will now face either Argentina or Switzerland for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
England have now reached the men’s World Cup semi-finals on four occasions after quarter-final victories over Argentina in 1966, Cameroon in 1990, Sweden in 2018 and Norway in 2026.
