Not even Haaland can stop Bellingham’s Ballon d’Or push

Erling Haaland strikes fear into opposing defenses. They hear his thunderous strides and start to panic, just as Marc Guehi – the Norwegian striker’s Manchester City teammate – found out. Jude Bellingham is no less imposing, gliding across the pitch with elegance but the same sense of power and purpose. Two towering figures of world soccer, but only one would keep his World Cup dream alive in the United States. It was the Real Madrid star, who scored twice to send England into the semifinals, taking his tournament tally to six goals.

Norway were the better side for most of the 90 minutes, but extra time belonged to Bellingham. England had already come close twice before he finally struck. It was a classic poacher’s goal, not unlike Mikel Merino’s against Belgium. Morgan Rogers fired a shot that Ørjan Nyland failed to hold, spilling the ball into the six-yard box where Bellingham pounced to end Norway’s resistance. The goal briefly came under scrutiny because it appeared the ball may have brushed the overhead spidercam cable – something that should have stopped play – but the sensor inside the smart match ball did not register any contact.

Being wary of Haaland is one thing. Turning up to a World Cup quarterfinal seemingly content to let time drift by while waiting for an opportunity to fall from the sky – or for the ball to somehow find its way to Haaland – is something else entirely.

Norway’s game plan suggested they were waiting for exactly that. The apple never fell, but Andreas Schjelderup did. In the 35th minute he scored the goal of his life, and perhaps the goal of the tournament. Barely a minute earlier, Haaland had produced the first shot on target by either side with a header. Then Schjelderup curled a stunning left-footed strike from the edge of the box, reminiscent of Roberto Carlos, beyond Jordan Pickford.

Faced with Norway’s deep defensive setup, England had little choice but to dominate possession, patiently moving the ball from side to side. But endless passing without purpose has never really been England’s identity. It’s not the high-tempo Premier League style they are accustomed to, and Norway made sure they could never find that rhythm.

Schjelderup’s goal floored England. For the next five minutes Norway threatened repeatedly to kill the game. Martin Ødegaard came close, then Alexander Sørloth, before the Atlético Madrid striker wasted a dangerous counterattack that could have proved decisive.

In soccer, as in life, you have to seize your chances. Norway failed to do that, and England punished them immediately. Anthony Gordon, who looks increasingly influential, slipped Bellingham through. Two touches, one powerful burst between the center backs, and a clinical finish past Nyland for his fifth goal of the tournament – another spectacular one. It came in the first minute of stoppage time. Two minutes later Harry Kane also found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Suddenly it was Norway on the ropes. Thirty-five controlled minutes had been wiped away by ten chaotic ones.

Bellingham is flying again. He looks every bit the unstoppable force who first arrived at Real Madrid – powerful, quick, relentless in front of goal – but above all he has rediscovered that ability to drag his team out of trouble. Playing just behind Kane clearly suits him. He looks happy, confident and every inch the leader.

The halftime whistle probably came at the wrong moment for England. Those four minutes of stoppage time had completely transformed the game, and the momentum had swung entirely in their favor.

Unlike the first half, Norway emerged after the break determined to attack. Even after Thomas Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, Sørloth and Haaland continued to pin England deep inside their own half. Leo Heggen even thought he had scored from a corner, but the goal was disallowed because Haaland had committed an obvious push before the kick was taken. Since the foul happened before the corner itself, play restarted from the original set piece.

Norway kept chasing a place in the semifinals. They controlled possession, dictated the play and almost scored again when Kristoffer Ajer crashed a header against the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining. The game belonged almost entirely to the men in red, especially after Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa came off the bench.

Only Saka consistently managed to break through Norway’s defense. His dangerous cutback across goal was brilliantly intercepted by Fredrik Aursnes, preventing what looked like England’s winner.

Just as it had throughout the previous 90 minutes, the game swung dramatically from one side to the other. Extra time, though, belonged to England. Saka became the catalyst, while Bellingham delivered the decisive blow. Norway were left furious, convinced the overhead cable should have ruled out England’s goal.

It was a cruel ending for a Norwegian side playing in its first World Cup in 28 years. They deserved more, even in extra time. Tuchel was eventually forced to send on his towering defender Dan Burn simply to repel wave after wave of Norwegian attacks led by Bobb and Nusa – and, surprisingly, without Haaland on the field during the second period of extra time.

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