Jude Bellingham refused to bow out of this World Cup, and so England survive to face Argentina in the semi-finals — but not without a barrage of controversy and a goalkeeper gaffe that left Gary Neville fuming. Fans in London erupted, blocking traffic in central London as the 2-1 victory over Norway in Miami was sealed, yet the performance left pundits and opponents demanding answers.
Norway struck first when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross sailed past Jordan Pickford. Gary Neville was adamant: “He HAS to save that.” Ian Wright agreed, branding the goal “poor” from the England goalkeeper. The opener stood despite Harry Kane going down under a Patrick Berg challenge, though replays suggested no contact.
“England beat Norway 2-1 amid VAR controversies; Bellingham heroics set up Argentina semi-final.”
England equalised before half-time when Bellingham scored — but only after the ball twice appeared to bounce off the wires of the “spidercam” above the pitch. FIFA later insisted the sensor in the Connected Ball showed “no peak” in the heartbeat, meaning no evidence of contact. Norway’s coaches, however, were furious, with Stale Solbakken spending half-time berating the officials.
In the second half, Norway thought they had retaken the lead when Torbjorn Heggem scored, but VAR ruled it out after Erling Haaland was shown to have fouled Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Then came Djed Spence’s penalty claim, overturned by VAR after the Fulham man went down theatrically under Oscar Bobb’s challenge. “It was on the theatrical side,” noted observers.
Bellingham later said England had needed to “win dirty” — and he was not referring to the spidercam. The midfielder’s refusal to lose kept England alive, but the performance was unconvincing over 90 minutes. Norway, like Ghana before them, can argue that luck — and referee Clement Turpin — was against them.
Now England face Argentina in Atlanta, a rivalry that promises more drama. Fans in Oslo and across the UK stayed up late; in London, they flooded the streets. The question remains: can England keep getting away with it?
