2026 FIFA World Cup: Jude Bellingham follows Pele to send England beyond Norway

Jude Bellingham's heroic brace helped England survive a dour encounter against Norway and advance into the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Real Madrid star reprised his talismanic performance from the round of 16 triumph against Mexico, in which he scored twice, and tread the path of the great three-time World Cup winner, Pelé.

Bellingham effectively became the youngest player (23y 12d) since Pelé in 1958 (17y 249d) to score a brace in successive World Cup knockout games.

With the victory, England advance to the next round to face the winner from the fourth quarter-final game between Argentina and Switzerland. Norway, on the other hand, will pat themselves on the back after going further than many predicted.

Norway entered the match full of confidence following their stunning 2-1 upset over five-time champions Brazil in the Round of 16. England, who had survived a gruelling 3-2 victory over Mexico while playing down a man, initially struggled to break down the Scandinavian side.  

 Norway capitalised on their early momentum when midfielder Andreas Schjelderup broke the deadlock, firing a shot past Jordan Pickford to give Norway a deserved 1-0 lead.  

 Just before the break, England found a crucial lifeline under highly contentious circumstances. A goal kick from Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland appeared to clip a spider-cam cable suspended over the pitch, altering its trajectory.

French referee Clément Turpin or VAR did not stop play, and the ball quickly fell to Jude Bellingham, who slotted a low shot to the far post to make it 1-1. The Norwegian players and coach Ståle Solbakken were left furious, but the goal stood.

The second half turned into a tense, tactical battle. Both sides had potential game-changing moments wiped out by VAR. Norway saw a potential goal ruled out in the 56th minute, keeping the score deadlocked and ultimately forcing an additional 30 minutes of extra time.

Wasting no time in the first period of extra time, Jude Bellingham struck again. He found the back of the net to give England a 2-1 advantage, marking another clutch performance for the Three Lions.  

 England thought they had a chance to put the game completely out of reach when they were awarded a penalty, but a VAR review overturned the decision.  

Despite a valiant late push from Norway, a resolute English defence marshalled by John Stones and Marc Guéhi and, eventually, Dan Burn, England held firm to secure the victory.