FIFA World Cup: England beat Norway to earn semi-final berth
What's the story
England's football team has advanced to the semi-finals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, their first since 1966. The victory came after a hard-fought battle against Norway, with a final score of 2-1. The win was not without its challenges, as England had to come from behind after Norway's Andreas Schjelderup scored in the first half. However, goals from Jude Bellingham in first-half stoppage time and extra time secured their place in the last four.
Tournament progress
England's historic journey to the semi-finals
England's road to the semi-finals has been a remarkable one. The team has reached this stage in four major tournaments since 2018, matching their total number of semi-final appearances before the 2018 World Cup. This consistent performance underlines the team's growth and resilience on the international stage.
Upcoming challenge
Rooney weighs in on potential semi-final opponents
England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals, with a chance to take on France or Spain in the final. Despite their victory over Norway, former England striker Wayne Rooney suggested he would prefer to face Argentina in the next round, citing Switzerland's organized play as a potential challenge for England.
Match analysis
Analysts highlight areas of concern for England
Despite the win, some analysts feel England's performance wasn't up to the mark. Former England striker Ellen White said other teams would have punished England for their mistakes in this match. She stressed on the need for improvement in quality and intensity, especially against teams that play compactly.
Post-match comments
Tuchel calls for improvement despite victory
England manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the team's achievement but stressed on the need for improvement. He said, "I still think we need to play better, overall I didn't see a high quality game." Midfielder Jude Bellingham echoed his sentiments, calling it an "England masterclass in a different way" and expressed pride in their performance despite not being their best.
Stats
Here are the match stats
From 14 attempts, England recorded eight shots on target. Norway managed five strikes on target from 13 attempts. The winning team had a 53% ball possession in the game. They completed 606 passes with a fine 91% accuracy. Norway's passes count was 537. Their accuracy was 86%.
Landmarks
Fourth semi-final for England
As per Opta, England have reached their fourth World Cup semi-final, having also reached this stage in 1966, 1990, and 2018. Their only World Cup glory came in 1996. England became the first team to keep Erling Haaland off the scoresheet in a competitive international match in 636 days. The Brits have progressed to the semi-final in four major tournaments since 2018 (WC/Euro), as many as they had reached in their history before the 2018 World Cup (4).
Information
Bellingham among the elites
Bellingham's tally of seven WC goals is the joint-second most for any player while aged 23 or younger, alongside Pele. The duo is only behind French star Kylian Mbappé, who owns 12 such strikes. Aged 23y 12d, Bellingham also became the second-youngest player to score two-plus goals in successive World Cup knockout stage games behind only Pelé in 1958 (17y 249d).
Kane
Feat for Kane
Kane has completed 120 international games, equalling Wayne Rooney for the most caps by an England outfielder. Only Peter Shilton has now played more games for the Three Lions overall (125).