Bellingham double fires England past Norway into World Cup semis

MIAMI, July 11 : Jude Bellingham scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as England ground out a 2-1 victory over a battling Norway side at Miami Stadium on Saturday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time. 

The teams were locked up 1-1 at the end of regulation time after Andreas Schjelderup had opened the scoring for Norway with a wonder strike in the 36th minute and Bellingham skipped into the area to equalise just before halftime.

Three minutes into extra time, though, Morgan Rogers fired a long-range shot at the Norwegian goal that Orjan Nyland could only parry and Bellingham stole in to bury the rebound, delighting the white-shirted fans in the crowd of 64,478. 

England will face Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta on Wednesday in their fourth semi-final in their last five major championships, looking to stay on course for a repeat of their sole World Cup triumph of 1966.

"The result is fantastic. We're in the last four. It's amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," England coach Thomas Tuchel said.

"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today."

Norway will feel they deserved more out of the game, even if England kept Erling Haaland scoreless for the first time in his last 16 matches for his country, and will exit their first World Cup in 28 years with heads held high.

"It is a bit bitter, but it has been an adventure," said Norway skipper Martin Odegaard.

"We must be proud. We are here for the first time in a long time, and we are making our mark. The whole world is talking about us."

CAGEY FIRST HALF     

Perhaps because of the stifling heat, the first half was a cagey