By Nick Mulvenney
MIAMI, July 11 (Reuters) – Jude Bellingham scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as England ground out a 2-1 victory over a battling Norway side at Miami Stadium on Saturday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time.
The teams were locked up 1-1 at the end of regulation time after Andreas Schjelderup had opened the scoring for Norway with a wonder strike in the 36th minute and Bellingham skipped into the area to equalise just before halftime.
Three minutes into extra time, though, Morgan Rogers fired a long-range shot at the Norwegian goal that Orjan Nyland could only parry and Bellingham stole in to bury the rebound, delighting the white-shirted fans in the crowd of 64,478.
England will face Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta on Wednesday in their fourth semi-final in their last five major championships, looking to stay on course for a repeat of their sole World Cup triumph of 1966.
“The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said.
“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.”
Norway will feel they deserved more out of the game, even if England kept Erling Haaland scoreless for the first time in his last 16 matches for his country, and will exit their first World Cup in 28 years with heads held high.
“It is a bit bitter, but it has been an adventure,” said Norway skipper Martin Odegaard.
“We must be proud. We are here for the first time in a long time, and we are making our mark. The whole world is talking about us.”
CAGEY FIRST HALF
Perhaps because of the stifling heat, the first half was a cagey affair but Norway exploded into life when Julian Ryerson crossed for Haaland to head the ball at goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 35th minute.
A minute later, Patrick Berg stripped Harry Kane of possession near halfway and released Schjelderup down the left, the winger turning makeshift England full back Ezri Konsa inside out before crashing a shot-cum-cross into the net.
England were rattled and Norway took full advantage with Alexander Sorloth hitting a rising drive over the bar and Martin Odegaard drilling in a low shot that Pickford parried away.
They should have doubled their lead in the 44th minute when they briefly had a two-on-one inside the England half but Sorloth decided not to pass to Haaland and the defenders recovered their ground to snuff out the danger.
Norway would regret their profligacy in stoppage time at the end of the half when Bellingham conjured up an equaliser of real quality from Anthony Gordon’s clever ball across the edge of the box.
Bellingham took one touch to steer the ball into the area, another to take him past a defender, before turning to whip it across goalkeeper Nyland into the far corner of the goal.
The remainder of the half was all England with Kane getting the ball into the net again only to be adjudged offside, a decision confirmed by VAR.
VAR RULES OUT NORWAY GOAL
VAR was again called upon 10 minutes into the second half when Torbjorn Heggem thought he had put Norway in front from a corner, his goal scratched off for a shove by Haaland on Elliot Anderson.
Norway’s introduction of pacey winger Oscar Bobb in the 67th minute triggered another period of dominance with England fortunate not to concede when David Moller Wolfe headed the ball over Pickford and on to the bar.
England’s right-wing substitute Bukayo Saka came close to helping his team take the lead with a dangerous cross that flashed across goal in the 78th minute and he carved out another great chance when he got to the byline and fired a low cross across the box that none of his teammates were able to get to.
England substitute Djed Spence caught Nyland napping in possession towards the end of normal time but the second half was destined to finish goalless.
VAR was to intervene once more after Bellingham’s second goal to rule out an extra-time penalty awarded to England for a foul on Spence.
Haaland, unable to add to his tournament tally of seven goals, was substituted at halftime of the extra period and although Norway poured forward looking for an equaliser, England held on to match their progress to the last four at the 1966, 1990 and 2018 World Cups.
“I feel sorry for the lads, but this is top level sports at its best or its most gruesome,” said tearful Norway coach Stale Solbakken.
“We played fantastic football against a super team, but we didn’t make it.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ed Osmond)
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