UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded Jude Bellingham after the Real Madrid midfielder scored twice to propel England to a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals. The win secured England's place in the semifinals, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland on July 15 at Atlanta Stadium.
Starmer took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a brief message highlighting Bellingham's match-winning performance. "Norway 1 - 2 Jude Bellingham," he wrote, adding a nod to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store: "Your boys took one hell of a beating."
Match Recap: Bellingham's Brace Sinks Norway
Norway struck first in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, who finished clinically after Erling Haaland had tested England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a header. England responded just before halftime when Bellingham surged forward and calmly slotted home the equalizer. Harry Kane thought he had put England ahead moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Norway thought they had regained the lead before the hour mark when Torbjorn Heggem found the net, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review penalized Haaland for a foul on Elliot Anderson during the build-up. The Norwegians continued to threaten, with Kristoffer Ajer hitting the crossbar, while England also came close through Djed Spence after a mistake by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. With neither side able to find a winner in normal time, the contest went into extra time.
Bellingham's Decisive Strike and Historic Feat
Bellingham proved the difference in extra time, reacting quickest after Nyland spilled a powerful effort from substitute Morgan Rogers to score from close range and send England into the last four. He was named Player of the Match. Bellingham and captain Harry Kane have now scored six goals each at the 2026 World Cup, marking the first time two England players have netted at least five goals in a single edition of the tournament.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also achieved a major milestone, making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance to become England's most-capped goalkeeper in World Cup history, surpassing Peter Shilton's previous record of 17 matches.
Norway's Historic Run Ends
For Norway, the defeat ended a memorable campaign that included their first-ever appearance in a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal. Their previous best performances had been Round of 16 finishes in 1938 and 1998, alongside a group-stage appearance at the 1994 World Cup.
England will now prepare for their semifinal clash against either Argentina or Switzerland, with the match scheduled for July 15 at Atlanta Stadium.
