Florida, July 12: Jude Bellingham struck twice to power England into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over tournament debutants Norway. The crucial win puts the Three Lions just one match away from their first final appearance in 60 years. England is scheduled to face either Argentina or Switzerland this coming Wednesday.
The victory marked another resilient comeback for the squad, breaking a long-standing historical jinx. England had not won a World Cup knockout match after conceding the opening goal since the historic 1966 final, yet they have now accomplished this feat twice in their last three outings. Earlier in the tournament, Harry Kane rescued the team from an early exit against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 32.
Norway, playing in their first-ever World Cup following a string of brilliant individual performances, initially stunned the favorites by taking an early lead. Andreas Schjelderup fired a powerful strike directly into the English net to give his side the advantage.
However, Bellingham took control of the match just before the whistle, repeating his heroics from the round of 16 where he also netted two goals against Mexico. The midfielder produced a moment of individual magic to level the score right before half-time.
Norway appeared to regain momentum in the second half, but their second goal was disallowed following a video assistant referee review. The system has remained at the center of intense debate and controversy throughout this tournament.
Capitalizing on the reprieve, Bellingham asserted his dominance by finding the back of the net for a second time, marking his sixth goal of the competition.
“We showed incredible character to fight back after that early blow,” an English team representative stated after the match. “Jude proved his quality once again when the pressure was highest.”
