Norway's dream run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was ended by England in the quarter-finals as Julian Ryerson and co. lost 2-1 on Saturday.
Former Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham struck twice for the Three Lions to help them turn the deficit after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norwegians a shock lead.
Moments after Erling Haaland saw a close-range header saved comfortably by Jordan Pickford,
Schjelderup lashed one unstoppable effort into the far corner to give Norway the lead after 36 minutes.
Bellingham, the English hero in their last-16 win over Mexico with a quickfire double, popped up with the equalizer in the closing seconds of the first half after receiving a pass from Anthony Gordon right on the line and slaloming his way past a few markers to slide one into the bottom corner.
Harry Kane then appeared to have made it 2-1 for England but was yards offside. Torbjorn Heggem also saw a goal disallowed for Norway as Haaland committed a foul in the build-up, while Kristoffer Ajer headed one against the crossbar as the corner was retaken.
England looked shaky but slowly worked their way back into the game although a winner remained elusive. With the match ending 1-1 after 90 minutes, extra-time followed and Bellingham came back to haunt Norway once again.
Morgan Rogers made an audacious attempt from range which Orjan Nyland saved, but Bellingham pounced on the rebound to put England in front. Thomas Tuchel's side then seemed to have a chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot after Djed Spence went down inside the area, but it was overturned after a VAR review.
Norway huffed and puffed in search of an equalizer but England held out to emerge triumphant, booking their place in the semi-finals.
Ryerson, Dortmund's creative inspiration, put in a sturdy defensive display with four clearances and tackles each, while also constantly jumping into duels as he sought to stop England in their tracks. Offensively, too, he looked dangerous, turning in three crosses and two key passes.
But unfortunately, the full-back's evening was cut short with a knock as Ryerson went off at the hour mark for Fredrik Aursnes and was forced to watch the remainder of the clash from the sidelines. Borussia Dortmund would hope it's not serious as they'd want him to be back in time for the pre-season.
Ryerson, Haaland and co. can be proud of a historic FIFA World Cup campaign.
Add us as a preferred source on Google