England reached the semi-finals for the fourth time in the history of FIFA World Cup. Judd Bellingham was central to this success. He became the hero of the team’s victory by scoring two goals. It was his goal that decided the fate of the match, especially just three minutes after the start of extra time.
Thomas Tuchel’s disciples then showed remarkable tenacity. England sealed the victory late in the game, holding off one Norwegian attack after another and maintaining great discipline in defence. However, despite losing, Norway left the World Cup with pride. They fought hard and reached the quarterfinals, creating one of the greatest chapters in history.
This time England advanced to the final. They will face either Argentina or Switzerland in Wednesday’s semifinals in Atlanta. If the Three Lions win that match, they will reach the final of the World Cup.
In the biggest upset of this World Cup, Norway beat five-time world champions Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals. With this victory, they qualified for the last eight for the first time in the history of the World Cup. England beat Mexico 3-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Norway had more possession in the first 20 minutes of the game but played for the most part in their own half. Neither team had been able to create clear scoring chances so far but England looked much more confident on the pitch. They also create opportunities. But the decisive action was not done.
Norway took the lead in the 36th minute with a beautiful goal by Andreas Skalderup. Patrick Berg snatched the ball from Harry Kane in midfield. The English footballers claimed a foul but the referee did not stop the game. Andreas Scheldarup took the opportunity to rush down the left. His powerful long-range shot then bounced off the post and into the top corner of the net.
The goal may not have been on Schelderup’s planned shot. But he hit the ball so hard that Jordan Pickford didn’t realize the odd turn. With this outstanding finish, Schelderup scored his second goal in international football.
Harry Kane, on the other hand, claimed that Patrick Berg had fouled him. But the replay did not show anything clear. Instead, it looked like Berg cleared the ball from Kane’s feet from behind. More surprisingly, several England footballers stopped playing in anticipation of a foul. On that occasion Schelderup attacked with the ball forward and from there came the crucial goal for Norway.
Jude Bellingham again the savior of England! He equalized in first half injury time. Anthony Gordon’s low cross from the left was not fully cleared by Norway’s defenders. Bellingham got the ball on the edge of the box and went in with a few touches. Then he turned around and took a great shot. The ball went beyond the reach of goalkeeper Orion Niland and into the right corner of the net. This goal equalizes for England.
England returned the ball to the net in injury time. Jude Bellingham made a great pass to Harry Kane in the right channel. Kane chipped the ball over the head of the Norwegian keeper with a perfect touch. But the joy of the goal did not last long. The assistant referee immediately flagged offside, and replays showed the decision was absolutely correct. At half time the score was 1-1.
Norway disappointed with the goal. In the end their goal was aborted. In fact, Norway took a 2-1 lead 55 minutes into the second half.
England’s defenders could not clear the ball from the right corner. Alexander Sorloth takes a powerful shot from the right side of the six yard box. Jordan Pickford blocks first but the ball falls to the left. Leo Hagem was waiting there. He stepped up and put the ball into the net from a few yards out.
But Holland pushed Anderson before the goal. And the VAR referee was summoned to the monitors to verify the incident. On replay, the referee decided that Holland had committed a foul. However, the foul occurred before the corner kick was taken, so it did not count as a goal. However, Norway are awarded another corner. Norway’s goal was disallowed, but England’s defensive frailty came to the fore again.
1-1 draw after 90 minutes of the match. A back-and-forth match went into extra time. Norway gave England a tough test. Arling Haaland and Harry Kane will both need to be at their best in the final 30 minutes if the team is to win.
Morgan Rodgers got the ball from about 30 yards and took a great one touch shot. The Norwegian goalkeeper tries to catch the ball but it slips from his hands. Waiting for an opportunity, Jude Bellingham received the ball and slotted it easily into the net from six yards out. England lead 2-1. Bellingham’s excellent form continues at the World Cup. His number of goals in the tournament stood at six.
Jaden Spence went ahead with a great dribble down the left side. Then he entered the box from near the goal line and went inside again. Oscar kicks Bob from behind to stop him for no reason. The referee blows the penalty whistle without hesitation. England had a great chance to increase the gap. But VAR disallowed the penalty. Watch the referee video and change your mind. Penalty waived. In fact, it appears that Spence intentionally brought his foot in front of Bob to make contact. As a result, the penalty decision was cancelled. Norway has been spared major disasters.
Norway could not open the score again. They lost 1-2 and were knocked out of the World Cup. England reached the semi-finals after eight years. England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup for the fourth time.