It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t convincing, and at times it was genuinely nerve-shredding. But England are in the World Cup semi-finals, and right now, nobody’s complaining.
Jude Bellingham was the difference on a sweltering Tuesday night in Miami, dragging his country over the line with two goals, including a 97th-minute winner that sent the travelling England support absolutely berserk. The Real Madrid midfielder, still only 20, is fast becoming the kind of player you build tournament runs around.
Norway were the better side for long stretches of the first half, moving the ball with a cool precision that England simply couldn’t match. Erling Haaland, quiet by his own extraordinary standards, still managed to set up the opener, threading a low ball across goal that Martin Ødegaard tucked away on 34 minutes.
England looked rattled. The Miami heat, pushing 32 degrees at kick-off, wasn’t helping anyone in a white shirt. Gareth Southgate made changes at the break, bringing on a fresh pair of legs in midfield, and the team visibly lifted.
Bellingham’s equaliser came on 67 minutes, a composed finish from the edge of the box after a clever one-two with Harry Kane. It was the sort of goal that reminds you why half of Europe’s biggest clubs spent three summers trying to sign him.
“We knew it would be tough tonight,” Bellingham said afterwards. “Norway are a brilliant side. But this team never stops believing.”
Extra time was a nervy, scrappy affair. England rode their luck more than once, a Haaland header clipping the post in the 104th minute to collective gasps around the Hard Rock Stadium. Then, almost out of nowhere, Bellingham collected a loose ball 25 yards out and curled it into the top corner with the outside of his right boot.
It was the kind of finish that belongs in a highlights reel you’ll be watching for years.
England face either France or Germany in the semi-finals on Saturday. The question now isn’t whether Bellingham can carry this team; it’s whether the rest of them can finally step up and carry some of the load with him.
