England defeat Norway in extra time to reach World Cup semi-finals

Miami Gardens (USA), 12 July (UNI) England secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup semifinals, defeating Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals, courtesy of Jude Bellingham's second goal in extra time. This marks the fourth time England has reached the semifinals in the tournament's history.

At the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night, Norway, playing its first World Cup in this century, stunned England by taking the lead in the 36th minute. Andreas Schjelderup capitalized on a defensive error, giving the Scandinavian team a glorious start. England responded just before halftime through Bellingham. He calmly scored in the second-half stoppage time, leveling the score, and the teams went into the break tied 1-1.

In the second half, both teams created several opportunities, and the contest remained intense on both sides. Norway thought it had regained the lead immediately after the restart when a cross from Leo Ostigard resulted in a goal, but VAR ruled it out as Erling Haaland had fouled before scoring. England also thought it had a golden chance to advance when Jade Spence was awarded a penalty in the middle of extra time. However, after a VAR review, the referee reversed the decision, stating that Spence had initiated contact with Oscar Bob.

The match went into extra time, and England secured the decisive victory in the 93rd minute. Morgan Rogers unleashed a powerful shot from distance that Norway's goalkeeper Orjan Nyland could not stop, allowing Bellingham to score his second goal of the night on the rebound. Norway refused to give up and pushed its players forward in pursuit of an equalizing goal. Antonio Nusa, Patrick Berg, and Oscar Bob all came close, but England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made several crucial saves, while John Stones and Mark Guehi made vital defensive blocks to preserve the lead.

England had opportunities to extend its advantage through Bukayo Saka and Spence, but Nyland made two excellent saves, keeping Norway in the contest until the final moments. With this win, England has reached the FIFA World Cup semifinals for the fourth time and keeps its hopes alive of winning the World Cup title for the first time since 1966. To advance to the final, England will face either Switzerland or reigning champion Argentina.