England edge past Norway in Miami heat
England overcame a cagey quarter-final tie with Norway in the brutal Miami heat to book their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Three Lions were on top in the early stages but lost momentum after the first hydration break and fell behind to Andreas Schjelderup's fortunate cross-come-shot.
England hero Jude Bellingham came to the rescue before half-time, scoring a brilliant equaliser to register his fifth goal of the tournament. Torbjorn Heggem thought he had given Norway a second-half lead but his goal was ruled out following a VAR check, with Erling Haaland penalised for a push before the corner was taken.
Bellingham's extra-time heroics
Norway had a sustained spell of pressure in the second half but England also threatened late on, with extra-time required to separate the sides. Penalties looked the likely outcome given the stalemate and players on both sides struggling with the high temperatures in Miami. But Bellingham was once again England's hero, reacting quickly to a mistake from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland to score an extra-time winner.
England will play World Cup holders Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals, while favourites France take on Spain in the other tie.
Player ratings
Jordan Pickford – 4
Beaten from a tight angle for Norway's bizarre opener, a cross-come-shot that pinged off the post after the Everton goalkeeper appeared to pull his arm away. Gary Neville and Roy Keane agreed he should have done better. Looked nervous all night, regularly pushing routine saves behind for corners, on the day he became England's most-capped player in World Cup history.
Ezri Konsa – 7
Tasked with solving England's right-back headache ahead of Djed Spence and was a solid presence, even though Norway's opener came from his wing. Tired as the match went on as one of England's most used players at the World Cup and was subbed off.
John Stones – 6
Konsa's move to right-back gave Stones the chance to make only his second start of the World Cup and he snuffed out a very early Norway opening with defending that ITV pundit Lee Dixon described as 'smart and brave'. But those qualities deserted him when he gave the ball away in England's box shortly after, and the ex-Manchester City defender was relieved to see the Norwegians make a mess of the attack. He had a few nervy moments but did well to nullify Haaland, who was surprisingly subbed off in extra-time, likely due to an injury.
Marc Guehi – 7
Also kept his Man City teammate Haaland quiet. Was on the bench for England's World Cup opener but now looks to have reclaimed his place in the team ahead of the semi-finals.
Nico O'Reilly – 7
Combined well with Gordon down the left, where England had pretty much all of their joy in the first half. There were concerns over his defensive ability coming into the tournament but he was once again solid, standing up to Oscar Bobb late on before a timely challenge when it looked as though Norway might breach England's goal. His aerial physicality is a bonus in both boxes.
Declan Rice – 4
So threatening from set-pieces for Arsenal, he wasted two early corners and a free-kick, much to the surprise of the ITV commentary team. Lee Dixon said he looked 'energy-depleted' as he made his way over for another poorly hit set-piece, and that was reflected in his half-time withdrawal. Hasn't looked fully fit for weeks and was struggling with a bug earlier this week, so his underwhelming performance can be excused. Tuchel will be desperate for Rice to be back to his normal self for England's semi.
Elliot Anderson – 8
Covers more ground than anyone and is so defensively sound but showed he's more than a workhorse with two superb cross-field passes early on. Ex-England defender Neville described his performance as 'outstanding'. Man City, who are spending £116m to sign Anderson from Nottingham Forest, appear to have bought well. England lost control of the midfield battle after half-time but that was more to do with Rice's absence than Anderson's performance.
Noni Madueke – 3
Somewhat surprisingly picked over Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, he flattered to deceive on the right before being hooked at half-time. An early promising run before an overhit cross set the tone for Madueke, who later angered Tuchel by being unnecessarily caught offside. He's being relied upon heavily mainly due to Saka's fitness issues, but Tuchel may now wonder if he should have taken Cole Palmer or Phil Foden out to the States.
Jude Bellingham – 9
England's star man at the World Cup popped up with another sublime goal, jinking his way into the box before an emphatic finish into the bottom corner. Just minutes later he thought he had provided a brilliant assist only to see the flag go up for offside. As well as his threat in the final third, his ability to turn under pressure and get England up the pitch is invaluable. He appeared to be fading in the second half, but of course it was Jude who produced the decisive moment, sparking bedlam across the country with an extra-time goal.
Anthony Gordon – 8
Produced his best performance of the tournament against Mexico in the cauldron of the Azteca and impressed again here, causing the Norway right-back all kinds of problems with his pace and directness. Provided the assist for Bellingham's leveller with a lovely pass. Was taken off with 20 minutes remaining of normal time after another proper shift. Barcelona's new signing started the World Cup slowly but perhaps showed why Nou Camp bosses view him as a £70m talent.
Harry Kane – 6
Forced to feed off scraps, blasting a free-kick over from the edge of the box with a rare sighter early on before his brilliant dink over the Norway goalkeeper was ruled out for offside. England's record goalscorer wanted a free-kick after being brought down in the build-up to Norway's opener but perhaps will look back and think he should have been stronger. He had little impact on the game thereafter but his leadership skills are absolutely vital, especially towards the end of these cagey games.
Substitutes
Bukayo Saka – 8
Started the second half slowly but came alive towards the end, dancing into the Norway box and whipping in a ball that was begging to be tucked away. Had the Norwegian defence on toast in extra-time – how different England would look with a fully-fit Bukayo Saka at their disposal.
Eberechi Eze – 5
Another Arsenal star that Tuchel turned to at half-time but he only had 19 touches in the next 45 minutes. Ian Wright, a Gunners legend, even questioned his introduction. But Eze's ability to keep the ball and move England up the pitch became increasingly important in extra-time.
Reece James – 7
Replaced Gordon in the 70th minute as Tuchel opted for a tactical tweak and immediately showed the speed and strength which makes him one of the best full-backs in world football.
Djed Spence – 8
Danced into the Norway box and looked to have earned England a penalty in extra-time before VAR overturned the decision. That was the second of three times Spence came close to a goal involvement after almost nicking it off the Norway goalkeeper and then testing Orjan Nyland in extra-time. His inclusion in England's World Cup squad was questioned, even ridiculed by some, but he is proving to be a hugely valuable member of the group.
Morgan Rogers – 7
Gave England some much-needed pace and power following his late substitution and it was his shot that Norway's Nyland, so impressive at the World Cup, spilled to Bellingham.
