By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:13 | Updated at 2026-08-03 05:14:39
3 weeks ago
England had to come from behind to win again at the World Cup, but a Jude Bellingham double sends them into the semi-finals over Norway.
Jude Bellingham came to England’s rescue once more as his brace helped them come from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in the World Cup quarter-finals after extra time.
The midfielder had cancelled out Andreas Schjelderup‘s tight-angled opener before clinching victory in the 93rd minute to ensure England will meet either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals in Atlanta.
Harry Kane blazed a free-kick over the bar in a cagey start that was almost thrown wide open when a loose John Stones pass bounced in front of Erling Haaland, but Jordan Pickford swept up the danger.
That England mistake spurred Norway into life. Schjelderup cut inside from the left and looked to be curling a cross to Haaland, but it cannoned off the inside of the far post and in after 36 minutes.
Bellingham then once again came to the fore as he got away from Torbjørn Heggem to pick out the bottom-right corner in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
Kane thought he had given England the lead two minutes later after dinking a lovely effort over Ørjan Nyland, but he had strayed just offside before Bellingham fed him the ball.
Pickford was called into action early in the second half to unconvincingly tip Haaland’s low header away, and Norway had the ball in the back of the net from the resulting corner.
Patrick Berg – on the stretch – saw a poked effort pushed off the line, and Heggem fired the rebound into the roof of the net. However, Haaland had pushed Elliot Anderson before it came into play, resulting in a retake of the set-piece following a VAR review.
Norway continued to get joy from corners, as Fredrik Aursnes hit a shot into the ground, but Kristoffer Ajer nodded it towards goal, only to loop it onto the top of the bar.
England started quickly in extra-time, with Morgan Rogers‘ long-range curler spilled by Nyland, and Bellingham reacted quickest to turn home 93 minutes in.
Thomas Tuchel’s side saw a penalty overturned not long after, and Stale Solbakken stunned Miami Stadium by taking Haaland off at half-time in extra-time.
England continued to seek an insurance goal, with Nyland unable to hold onto Djed Spence‘s long-range drive, but he then stood tall to keep out Bukayo Saka‘s follow-up, though in the end, they did not need one.
Bellingham Brings the Magic to Miami
This was a slow-burner of a match, with the first shot not coming until the 29th minute (through Kane), the longest wait for the opening shot of a game in this World Cup.
But it took a clever moment from Schjelderup to break the deadlock; only Johan Manzambi (five) has more goal involvements among players aged 22 and under at this World Cup than him (four – one goal, three assists).
But as he has so often in these finals, Bellingham came to England’s rescue. Only Gary Lineker (six in 1986) has scored as many non-penalty goals in a single World Cup tournament for the Three Lions as the 23-year-old in 2026 (six).
In fact, only Kane (25) and David Beckham (14) have more goal involvements for England at major tournaments than Bellingham (12 – nine goals, three assists).
He is the first player to score two or more goals in successive World Cup knockout-stage games since Diego Maradona (1986) and the youngest to do so at 23 years and 12 days since Pele (17y 249d) in 1958.
It was a match that lacked quality for large parts, especially with both sides chasing a winner in the second half of normal time. England, in particular, struggled, with their only two shots on target in the first 90 minutes coming in first-half stoppage time, while their second-half expected goals (xG) tally was just 0.09.
However, England are the first team to keep Haaland off the scoresheet in a competitive international since Austria in October 2024 (636 days ago).
The win meant that two England players were able to celebrate their landmark appearances. Pickford made his 18th World Cup appearance, the most of any Three Lions player. Kane, meanwhile, played his 120th international match, the joint-second most for the country (level with Wayne Rooney), behind only Peter Shilton (125).
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Norway vs England stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final meeting in Miami on 11 July.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Norway vs England: Post-Match Opta Facts
- England have progressed to the semi-finals in four major tournaments since 2018 (FIFA World Cup/UEFA EURO), which is as many as they had reached in their history prior to the 2018 World Cup (4).
- England have now won four consecutive FIFA World Cup games, their longest winning run within a single edition since 1966 (5).
- Thomas Tuchel is only the second manager to go unbeaten in his first six FIFA World Cup games in charge of England – the previous was Alf Ramsey in 1966, who had the exact same record after six matches (W5 D1).
- Norway have failed to win any of their seven FIFA World Cup games against fellow European opposition (D2 L5), losing all three to occur in the knockout stages.
- The first shot in this game didn’t arrive until the 29th minute (through Harry Kane), with this the longest wait for the first shot in any match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- With braces against Mexico and Norway, England’s Jude Bellingham is the first player to score 2+ goals in consecutive knockout stage appearances in the same FIFA World Cup edition since Diego Maradona in 1986 (2 v England, 2 v Belgium).
- Jude Bellingham has now scored seven goals at the FIFA World Cup for England – the only player to net more in the competition while aged 23 or younger is Kylian Mbappé (12), while Bellingham is now level with Pelé on seven.
- Jude Bellingham has netted six goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, none of which have been penalties. This is the joint-most non-penalty goals by an England player in a major tournament (WC/Euro), along with Gary Lineker at the 1986 World Cup (6).
- Through Jude Bellingham (6) and Harry Kane (5), this is the first time that two different England players have scored 5+ goals in the same major tournament (FIFA World Cup/UEFA Euro).
- Harry Kane won his 120th cap in this game, equalling Wayne Rooney as the outfielder with the most appearances for England. Only Peter Shilton (125) now has more caps overall for the Three Lions.
- Jordan Pickford became England’s record appearance maker at the FIFA World Cup, overtaking fellow goalkeeper Peter Shilton (17) in this match (18).
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
