Jude Bellingham just dragged England into the World Cup semifinals, hitting a brace, including the winner in extra time, in a wild 2-1 victory over Norway. Man, what a relief! England's heading to their second World Cup semifinal in the last three editions, but they definitely made us sweat for it.
That Tepid Quarterfinal Almost Cost England Everything
Look, a World Cup quarterfinal against Norway in Miami, with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane on the pitch? The buzzwords were flying: World Cup, quarterfinal, golden boot race. You’d think this game would be pure fire, right? Wrong. For a long 28 minutes, it felt like everyone forgot how to shoot a ball. Both teams took a super conservative approach, opting for defensive shapes instead of, you know, actually trying to score.
Haaland, with seven goals, and Kane, with six, are both chasing Messi and Mbappe, who each have eight goals. But on Saturday, neither star really took center stage. It was all about safety, the pressure of reaching a semifinal clearly weighing heavy. Then, out of nowhere, Norway decided to actually play some soccer. Haaland forced a big save from Jordan Pickford, and it felt like England fans could finally breathe. That relief lasted literally seconds. Andreas Schjelderup’s cross turned into a goal, and just like that, the first-time World Cup quarterfinalists from Norway were up 1-0. Are you kidding me?!
Bellingham's Mindset Shifted Everything
That goal was the wake-up call England desperately needed. The favorites to win the game, even one of the oddsmakers' picks for the whole World Cup, just got punched in the mouth. England had to learn their lesson: they should probably start playing some soccer too, especially if they wanted an equalizer. After a full round of shots from Norway, England found their footing. Post-match, Jude Bellingham totally nailed it, saying, "I think the game split into loads of different facets... For me, the biggest one is psychological and how you can manage setbacks, how you can manage adversity and this team showed again that they can do it and that's a really valuable skill and trait to have going into this stage of the tournament."
He's not wrong. This team showed they have the mental toughness to come back from adversity, and honestly, after that start, they needed every ounce of it. Now, England is in the semifinals, and hopefully, they remember to hit the ground running this time. We're all looking forward to seeing what they bring to the pitch next!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.