Bellingham's two goals send England into the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup

 

Bellingham's two goals send England into the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup

 

Jude Bellingham scored two brilliant goals, including the decisive one in extra time, as England beat a hard-fought Norway 2-1 in a thrilling match at Miami Stadium on Saturday to reach their fourth World Cup semi-final.

The two teams were level at 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

Norway's Andreas Schjeldrop had given his team the lead in the 36th minute, but just before half-time, Bellingham controlled the ball and scored a stunning move in the penalty area to level the score.

In the third minute of extra time, Morgan Rodgers fired a powerful shot from distance at the Norwegian goal, which goalkeeper Orian Nyland could only stop, and Bellingham turned the rebound into the net.

The goal gave England fans in the 64,478 spectators in the stadium a chance to celebrate.

England will now face Argentina in the semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, where they will be looking to repeat their historic success of 1966.

England coach Thomas Tuchel said after the match, "The result is fantastic and we are in the last four, but I am not happy with the team's performance. We made the match difficult with our slow play and technical errors. We were lucky today."

On the other hand, Norway's World Cup journey ended after 28 years, but they have exited the event with their heads held high.

They produced a fine performance against England and kept star striker Erling Haaland from scoring for the first time in his last 16 international appearances.

Norway captain Martin Odegaard said: "It's a bitter defeat but it's been an adventure, the whole world is talking about us."

The goal sent England fans out of the 64,478 spectators in the stadium into celebration (Photo: Reuters)

The first half of the match started defensively in the scorching heat, but Schjeldrop put Norway ahead in the 36th minute.

England were under pressure from the goal and Norway had a chance to double their lead but failed to capitalise.

Bellingham equalised in added time after half-time with a superb finish from Anthony Gordon.

The Norwegian coach claimed that England had the chance after a Norwegian clearance hit a camera cable, but FIFA denied this.

In the second half, VAR technology came into play when Norway's Hyppeghem scored from a corner but it was ruled out for a foul by the Netherlands.

In the second half, Norway's Oscar Bob and England's Bukayo Saka created some good chances but no further goals were scored in stoppage time.

The Netherlands were substituted in extra time and after Bellingham's second goal, Norway tried desperately to equalise, but the England defence stood firm.

"I'm proud of the boys, we played great football against a super team but we couldn't get through," said Norway coach Stål Solbakken, in awe.