Bellingham brace sends England past Norway to face Argentina in World Cup semi-final

Jude Bellingham struck twice in extra-time to send England into a World Cup semi-final against Argentina after a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Norway, with Thomas Tuchel’s side having fallen behind to Andreas Schjelderup’s opener.

The Real Madrid midfielder’s double proved decisive, though the evening was not without friction. Tuchel clashed with ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke in a heated post-match exchange after the England head coach was challenged over his side’s mentality, prompting Bellingham to publicly push back against his manager’s assessment — insisting his teammates deserved credit for navigating a difficult contest.

England will now face Argentina in Atlanta on July 15, after the defending champions came through their own chaotic quarter-final. Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra-time, with Alexis Mac Allister opening the scoring before Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez sealed the result — but the match was defined by a remarkable VAR intervention.

At 1-1, Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was sent off for a second bookable offence following a review that exposed a case of mistaken identity: Leandro Paredes had originally been booked for a foul on Embolo, only for footage to reveal that Embolo himself had dived. The red card swung the tie decisively in Argentina’s favour.

Off the pitch, Norway’s exit generated its own controversy. Erling Haaland, who failed to score during his side’s 2-1 defeat in Miami, saw his father Alfie make headlines after reportedly directing expletives toward the pitch and accusing Djed Spence of diving. Alfie Haaland later posted on X in the early hours of Sunday morning claiming Norway had been ‘robbed’.

The semi-final bracket is now set. France, winners of the 2018 World Cup, take on reigning European champions Spain on July 14, before England and Argentina meet the following evening.