England and Norway tied 1-1 at halftime of World Cup quarterfinal - CityNews Winnipeg
England Advances to Semifinals
England has secured a spot in the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018, following a 2-1 victory over Norway. The decisive goal came from Jude Bellingham in the third minute of extra time. This marks Bellingham’s second goal of the match, having also scored an equalizer late in the first half.
Bellingham, a Real Madrid star, now has six goals in the tournament, placing him alongside teammate Harry Kane. They are currently behind Kylian Mbappé of France and Lionel Messi of Argentina, who both have eight goals. Bellingham also contributed two goals in the round of 16 match where England defeated co-host Mexico.
The Three Lions, winners of the 1966 World Cup, are now one win away from reaching the title match. Their next opponent will be either Argentina or Switzerland, who were scheduled to play on Saturday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
Match Highlights and Controversies
Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring in the 36th minute. Schjelderup, making only his second start of the tournament, struck a shot that rebounded off the right post and into the net, surprising an England team that had largely controlled possession up to that point. Schjelderup had also set up both of Erling Haaland’s goals in Norway’s round of 16 victory against Brazil.
Norway nearly went ahead in the 56th minute when Torbjørn Heggem scored after a corner kick rebound past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. However, the goal was disallowed following a video review due to a foul by Haaland in the box. Haaland, a Manchester City star with seven goals in the tournament, was held without a goal for the first time in the World Cup and was substituted in the second half of extra time for Jorgen Strand Larsen. Pickford also denied Haaland a point-blank header in the first half.
Bellingham’s equalizer, scored from close range, ignited the crowd, which included figures like Mick Jagger and England legend David Beckham. Moments before Bellingham’s goal, a goal kick appeared to make contact with an aerial camera cable before landing near England’s Elliot Anderson. The ball was then played to Bellingham, who scored with a low shot past Ørjan Nyland. According to rules, if the ball had been noticed hitting the cable, play would have been stopped and a drop ball used to determine possession.
Team Lineups and Coaching Staff
Both teams featured strong lineups for the quarterfinal clash. England’s starting XI included Pickford, O’Reilly, Stones, Guehi, Konsa, Anderson, Rice, Gordon, Bellingham, Madueke, and captain Kane. Norway’s lineup consisted of Nyland, Wolfe, Ajer, Heggem, Ryerson, Berg, Berge, captain Ødegaard, Schjelderup, Haaland, and Sørloth.
Julian Ryerson of Borussia Dortmund maintained his place in Norway’s starting lineup after returning from injury in their win over Brazil. Schjelderup’s strong performance against Brazil also earned him a start, while RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa was on the substitute bench. Former Leipzig players Nyland and Alexander Sørloth were both in Norway’s starting lineup.
England’s Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen was unavailable for the match, serving a two-game suspension for a red card received in England’s victory against Mexico. Both teams are led by former Bundesliga coaches. Ståle Solbakken, who had a spell at Köln in the 2011-12 season, coaches Norway. Thomas Tuchel, who had a career with Mainz, Dortmund, and Bayern, coaches England. Tuchel, 52 years old, is aiming to become the first foreign coach to win the World Cup.
Before the match, a brief moment of silence was observed in honour of Jayden Adams, a midfielder for South Africa, whose death was announced earlier on Saturday.
The match saw a direct competition between two prominent strikers, Kane and Haaland, who are both in contention for the Golden Boot alongside Mbappé and Messi. Bellingham’s performance has also been notable for England throughout the campaign.
Source: winnipeg.citynews.ca
