England battled past Norway after extra time in Miami in a tense World Cup 2026 quarter-final as talisman Jude Bellingham delivered again – and set up a showdown with Argentina in Atlanta.
After a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, Bellingham slotted home a rebound from Orjan Nyland’s spill just three minutes into the extra half-an-hour to put the Three Lions into a second semi-final in the past three World Cups, with Argentina now lying in wait on Wednesday evening.
However, England boss Thomas Tuchel wasn’t happy with the performance, describing his side as “lucky” and clashing with ITV broadcaster Gabriel Clarke in an explosive interview. When Tuchel’s criticisms were put to Bellingham, he said “whatever… My thoughts are with the players, who put in a great shift out there.”
Tuchel’s side were unconvincing for large parts of the initial 90 minutes but Bellingham equalised on the stroke of half-time in normal time with a lovely finish from Anthony Gordon’s ball to feet after Andreas Schjelderup’s bizarre goal had put Norway ahead on 36 minutes – mishitting a cross that flew into the top corner via Jordan Pickford’s post. Erling Haaland was shockingly subbed off at half-time of extra time, potentially with a slight injury, but England held on.
Follow all the action from the World Cup quarter-final with our live blog below:
Thomas Tuchel rages at interviewer and claims England were ‘lucky’ to beat Norway
England eked out a 2-1 victory to seal their place in the semi-finals with Jude Bellingham scoring both, first cancelling out Andreas Schjelderup’s opener on the brink of half-time before pouncing on a rebound three minutes into extra time to net the winner.
Bukayo Saka on fitness at World Cup
“I think across the tournament, my minutes have been building and building,” Saka said.
“Of course, I would love to come to this tournament 100%, but that wasn’t the case, and everyone’s realised that and they’ve managed me in the best way possible.
“But right now, I’m feeling great and I’m ready to go.”
Bellingham’s one-word response to Tuchel criticism over England’s quarter-final performance
Breel Embolo in tears after Switzerland forward given red card after mistaken identity VAR decision
Breel Embolo was left distraught and in tears after the Switzerland forward was dragged off following his red card in the World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Argentina.
The Swiss forward initially earned a foul with Leandro Paredes handed a yellow card in a collision that saw him tumble with his legs sprawling, though replays suggested that he appeared to at least make the most of the contact.
Fifa releases over 1,000 World Cup final tickets at eye-watering prices
Nearly 1,200 high-priced tickets for the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were unexpectedly released by Fifa on Friday.
England v Argentina
“Lionel Messi couldn’t possibly end an international career, over 200 matches, without playing the team that Argentina fans see as their biggest rival,” South American football expert Tim Vickery said.
“During the second half, the fans were bouncing up and down singing ‘he who doesn’t jump is an Englishman’.
“You’ll be hearing a lot, lot more of that on Wednesday.”
Rooney on Messi’s weakness
“He can be a weakness defensively for Argentina,” Wayne Rooney said.
“He doesn’t run back, but he has big moments a bit like with Jude Bellingham. He has big moments and moments of quality. The thing with Messi is his decision-making – he comes to life in moments of the game and he makes the right decision.
“Marking Lionel Messi is about concentration and communication. Communicating with your team-mates about picking up positions you might not usually pick up.”
Brilliant Jude Bellingham bails out England again to sink Norway and reach World Cup semi-finals
Jude Bellingham, somehow, keeps going to new levels. And it is almost by force of his will alone that a stumbling England reach just their fourth-ever World Cup semi-final.
The greatest stage in the game is now within reach, and Bellingham looks more than ready for it.
Micah Richards on Messi’s impact
“England can outrun Argentina but they just have that little genius Messi. They all play for him. Everyone should be excited,” said BBC pundit Micah Richards.
“Marking him is impossible because he doesn’t run back. He goes into little spaces where he shouldn’t really be. He switches on at the right times [and] he’s got the best technique. His spatial awareness is fantastic. He’s got a great shot.
“Most importantly, he’s got what Jude’s [Bellingham] got and that’s what makes Jude so great, he’s got personality and aura.
“Messi has the most aura out of any footballer. Messi’s aura is just next level, so it’s going to be interesting.”
Argentina survive World Cup scare after Julian Alvarez screamer
Argentina don’t do it the easy way but if their defence of their World Cup is increasingly unconvincing, it goes on and on.
Kansas City ended up bouncing like Buenos Aires, part of the Midwest resembling an Argentina home game, but euphoric scenes and a glorious goal stood in stark contrast to an utterly uninspired display.
