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England beats Norway 2-1 in extra time, will face Argentina in the semifinals
England booked its place in the World Cup semifinals on Saturday, edging Norway 2-1 in extra time in a dramatic quarterfinal in Miami. The match had everything: a post-and-in opener, two key VAR interventions, and a decisive brace from Jude Bellingham. England now knows its next opponent — Argentina, which beat Switzerland 3-1, also in extra time, hours later.
Norway struck first, around the half-hour mark, when Andreas Schjelderup caught Jordan Pickford off guard with a left-footed strike that clipped the post before going in. England responded before halftime through its standout performer of this World Cup. Bellingham collected a pass from Anthony Gordon, beat two defenders inside the box, and finished with a cross-shot to level the score in first-half stoppage time.
In the second half, Norway threatened again and briefly celebrated a 2-1 lead from a set piece, only for VAR to disallow the goal after spotting a push by Erling Haaland in the buildup. Norway kept pressing and came close to the winner when Kristoffer Ajer's header struck the crossbar. England managed to hold firm and took the tie into extra time.
The extra period brought a costly mistake from Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, who failed to control a long-range effort from Morgan Rogers. Bellingham pounced on the rebound to score his second goal of the night — his sixth of the tournament — putting England 2-1 up for good. VAR intervened once more, this time to rule out a penalty awarded to England, but it did not change the outcome.
With Haaland substituted off during the second half of extra time, Norway's attacking threat faded, and the Scandinavians could not find an equalizer in the closing stages. Managed by Thomas Tuchel, England held on to confirm its spot among the World Cup's final four, another strong showing in a tournament where Bellingham continues to establish himself as one of the standout players.
England's path now crosses with Argentina's, in a semifinal pairing that pits Bellingham's in-form Three Lions against an Argentina side riding the historic form of Lionel Messi. With a place in the final on the line, the matchup shapes up as one of the tournament's biggest tests yet.