England, aiming for its first World Cup title in 60 years, has advanced to the semifinals after defeating Norway, which was seeking its first-ever final four appearance, led by a multi-goal performance from Jude Bellingham.

In the quarterfinals of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup held at Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 12 (KST), England secured a 2-1 victory over Norway after a grueling 120-minute match that went into extra time.

With this win, England reached the semifinals for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Russia tournament, continuing its quest for a second title, 60 years after its 1966 victory.

England will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Argentina and Switzerland for a spot in the final.

On the other hand, Norway, which reached the quarterfinals for the first time in tournament history, could not overcome England. Star striker Erling Haaland failed to find the net, ending his campaign with 7 goals and halting his run in the race for the Golden Boot.

England struggled to create chances against Norway, which locked down its defense with a "defend first, counterattack later" strategy. England did not manage its first shot until the 29th minute, when Harry Kane took a free kick near the right side of the penalty arc. Norway, focusing on counterattacks, also recorded its first shot in the 35th minute with a header from Erling Haaland.

The match, which had been somewhat dull due to England's one-sided attacks and Norway's defensive efforts, saw the deadlock broken in the 36th minute by a surprise goal from Norway.

After stealing the ball from Kane near the halfway line, Norway's Andreas Schjelderup penetrated the left side of the penalty area and fired a thunderous left-footed shot into the net to take the lead.

Norway demonstrated a "one shot, one kill" efficiency by scoring with its first attempt of the day.

However, England did not collapse easily.

Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Bellingham received a cross from Anthony Gordon, who had broken through the left flank, near the penalty arc. Bellingham maneuvered between three Norwegian defenders, penetrated the left side of the goal area, and scored the equalizer with a precise left-footed shot.

Bellingham scored his 5th goal of the tournament with his first shot of the match.

Late in second-half stoppage time, England thought they had scored again when Kane chipped the ball over the goalkeeper from the right side of the goal area, but the goal was disallowed after the assistant referee raised the flag for offside.

Norway, which finished the first half tied 1-1, appeared to take the lead in the 10th minute of the second half when Thorbjørn Lysaker Heggem scored with a left-footed shot in front of the goal following a right-side corner kick.

However, after communicating with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the referee conducted an on-field review and discovered that Haaland had pushed Elliot Anderson down just before the corner kick, leading to the goal being canceled.

Continuing their offensive, Norway missed a decisive scoring opportunity in the 31st minute of the second half when a header by David Møller Wolfe hit the crossbar during a scramble in front of the goal following a left-side corner kick.

With the score tied 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation, the match went into extra time.

In the tense extra time, England's finishing ability finally shone, and the hero was Bellingham.

Three minutes into the first half of extra time, Morgan Rogers fired a surprise mid-range shot from the center of the penalty arc. The ball was blocked by Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland and spilled into the goal area, where Bellingham quickly rushed in to score with his right foot.

With his brace, Bellingham scored his 6th goal of the tournament, moving into a tie for third place in the scoring race alongside Kane. This additional goal by Bellingham became the game-winner.

In the 9th minute of the first half of extra time, England was awarded a penalty kick when Djed Spence was brought down by a defender while penetrating the left side of the goal area, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review determined there was no foul.

Norway replaced a fatigued Haaland with Jørgen Strand Larsen at the start of the second half of extra time in hopes of a turnaround, but they failed to find an equalizer and had to abandon their dream of reaching the semifinals for the first time.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)