England are one win away from a place in the FIFA World Cup final after Jude Bellingham inspired a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in Miami on Saturday.

The Real Madrid midfielder scored the decisive goal in the third minute of extra time, keeping alive England’s hopes of ending their long wait for a second World Cup title. The victory sends the Three Lions into the semi-finals, where they will meet either Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta.

Bellingham delivers when England needed him most

With the match seemingly drifting towards penalties, Morgan Rogers unleashed a powerful effort that Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland could only parry into danger. Bellingham reacted quickest, converting the rebound from close range to settle an absorbing contest.

The strike was Bellingham’s sixth goal of the tournament, drawing him level with teammate Harry Kane in the scoring charts and leaving him two behind tournament leaders Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

It capped another influential display from the 23-year-old, who had already helped rescue England before half-time.

Norway stunned England before controversial equaliser

Norway, enjoying their deepest World Cup run in decades, took the lead in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup collected possession on the left before drilling a low effort beyond Jordan Pickford via the inside of the post.

England’s response arrived in controversial fashion just before the interval.

A Norwegian goal kick appeared to strike one of the stadium’s aerial camera cables before dropping to Elliot Anderson, who quickly released Bellingham. The midfielder finished confidently to level the score.

Norwegian players immediately protested, arguing play should have been stopped because the ball had made contact with external equipment. However, the incident went unnoticed by the match officials and the goal stood.

VAR frustration compounds Norway’s misery

Norway thought they had restored their advantage in the second half when Torbjørn Heggem converted from close range following a scramble inside the penalty area.

After a lengthy VAR review, however, the goal was ruled out because Erling Haaland had committed a foul during the build-up.

The decision proved pivotal.

England, marshalled by Pickford, largely contained Haaland throughout the contest. The goalkeeper produced an outstanding close-range save to deny the Manchester City striker in the opening half, while England’s defence prevented him from finding the net for the first time in the tournament.

As extra time wore on, Norway withdrew an exhausted Haaland in favour of Jørgen Strand Larsen, but England continued to grow stronger before Bellingham’s decisive intervention.

England move within touching distance of final

The victory extends England’s impressive tournament run and keeps alive hopes of lifting the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

Their semi-final opponents will be confirmed after the remaining quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland.

Emotional tribute before kick-off

Before the match, players from both sides observed a minute’s silence in memory of South African midfielder Jayden Adams, whose death at the age of 25 was announced earlier on Saturday.

The emotional tribute set a sombre tone before a match that ultimately produced one of the tournament’s most dramatic finishes.