England has secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals following a 2-1 extra-time win against Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match was marked by significant drama and tactical confrontations, with Jude Bellingham playing a pivotal role in England’s success.
Bellingham scored in the third minute of extra time, capitalising on a rebound after Orjan Nyland failed to control a shot from Morgan Rogers. This goal marked Bellingham’s sixth goal of the tournament, placing him alongside teammate Harry Kane and behind Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi in the scoring charts.
Controversial Equaliser and VAR Decisions
The match saw Norway initially take the lead in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup scored, hitting the right post before the ball entered the net. However, the game took a controversial turn just before halftime. An incident involving a Norwegian goal kick and an aerial camera cable led to England’s equaliser.
An aerial camera cable appeared to be struck by a Norwegian goal kick, with the ball then dropping to Elliot Anderson, who passed to Bellingham for a low equaliser. According to tournament rules, play should have been stopped for a drop ball if the ball made contact with an outside object like an overhead cable. However, the play continued, leading to protests from the Norwegian bench and head coach Ståle Solbakken.
FIFA later released a statement addressing the controversy, asserting that there was “no evidence” the ball had touched the wire. The statement indicated that the sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in its “heartbeat” when it was in the air before England’s goal, suggesting no contact with the overhead wire that would have altered the ball’s movement. The 2026 World Cup‘s official match ball is equipped with a motion sensor that sends data to assist the VAR system, primarily for offside decisions, but also capable of detecting contact with objects.
In the second half, Norway believed they had regained the lead when Torbjørn Heggem scored from a rebound. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR due to a foul by Erling Haaland in the box during the build-up. This decision further impacted Norway’s momentum in the match.
England’s Resilience and Road Ahead
England’s defence, marshalled by Jordan Pickford, successfully contained Erling Haaland, preventing him from scoring for the first time in the tournament. Pickford also made a crucial save against Haaland in the first half. Haaland was substituted in the second period of extra time for Jorgen Strand Larsen, marking the end of Norway’s aerial threat.
This victory highlights England’s growing resilience, as they have now won two knockout matches after conceding first in this tournament, a feat they had not achieved since the 1966 World Cup final. The defeat also ended Haaland’s streak of scoring in 14 consecutive competitive internationals for Norway.
England is now set to travel to Atlanta for a semifinal match against either Argentina or Switzerland. Before the match, both teams observed a moment of silence to honour Jayden Adams, a 25-year-old South African midfielder whose passing was announced on Saturday.
Read Also
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
