By ALANIS THAMESSunday July 12, 2026
Jude Bellingham linked arms with Harry Kane as England supporters burst into a chorus of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”
The applause was no accident.
He scored twice on Saturday — an equalizer in the first half and the decisive goal in the third minute of extra time — sending England past Norway 2-1 and into the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018.
The Real Madrid midfielder now shares six tournament goals with Kane, trailing only France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi by two and sitting one behind Norway’s Erling Haaland, who was kept off the scoresheet by England. Bellingham had already netted a brace in the round of 16 when England eliminated co-host Mexico.
England, the 1966 champions under pressure to reach another final, need one more victory to get there. The Three Lions will meet Argentina in the semifinals.
“The game is split into loads of different facets. Some of it is technical, tactical,” Bellingham said. “For me, the biggest one is psychological and how you can manage setbacks, how you can manage adversity. This team showed yet again that they can do it and that’s a really valuable skill and trait to have.”
Not everyone was pleased with the performance.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” coach Thomas Tuchel said in a tense Fox Sports interview. “The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but not happy with the performance … in every sense.”
At his news conference, Tuchel tempered that bluntness, saying he was “proud and happy” with the squad’s resilience while also stressing his coaching standards. “I’m also a football coach and I also have demands. … I think we can play faster. I think we can play more clinical.”
Bellingham, unfazed by the criticism after a gruelling match in South Florida heat and humidity that hit 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) at warmups, pushed back lightly.
“Well, whatever,” Bellingham said with a shake of his head. “It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there who put in a great shift.”
Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring in the 36th minute for Norway, a nation that reached its first World Cup quarterfinals and captured attention with its “Viking row” and the presence of their imposing 6-foot-5 striker, Haaland.
Haaland, who had been a scoring force earlier in the tournament, finished scoreless. The Manchester City forward sat on the bench visibly dejected after being replaced by Jorgen Strand Larsen in the second half of extra time.
“It was not a tough decision to take him out,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said. “He was finished. Maybe I should have taken him out 10 minutes before. … He also got a dead leg in the second half, so that combined with the fatigue. He did everything he could.”
Norway nearly reclaimed the lead in the 56th when Torbjørn Heggem converted a rebound after a corner, but a video review ruled the goal out for a foul by Haaland in the box. Earlier, Haaland had been denied by England keeper Jordan Pickford on a close-range header.
Schjelderup, making only his second start of the tournament, struck a shot that bounced in off the right post to stun an England side that had largely controlled possession until that moment. Bellingham’s response from close range sent the crowd into a frenzy that included Mick Jagger and England legend David Beckham.
After setting up both of Haaland’s goals in Norway’s round of 16 win over Brazil, Schjelderup celebrated his strike by stretching his arms wide while teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Kane, by contrast, sat near midfield clutching his leg and looking toward the officials after the play; no foul was signaled.
Moments before Bellingham’s equalizer, a Norway goal kick appeared to clip an aerial camera cable before landing at England’s Elliot Anderson. The ball eventually reached Bellingham, who curled a low finish past Ørjan Nyland at the far post. Under the rules, play would have been stopped for a drop ball had the contact with the cable been confirmed. FIFA later reported the ball’s sensor indicated no contact with the cable.
There was a brief moment of silence before kickoff to honor Jayden Adams, the 25-year-old South African midfielder whose death was announced earlier Saturday.
