Norway came into this World Cup quarterfinal as the clear underdog. Nobody expected them to take a lead against England. But here’s what made it truly bizarre: the goal didn’t come from Erling Haaland. It came from Andreas Schjelderup, a 23-year-old Benfica winger most casual fans couldn’t pick out of a lineup. And it was an absolute missile.
Schjelderup’s strike came in the 36th minute, right after the hydration break. He drove at England defender Ezri Konsa, cut inside, and unleashed a shot that beat Jordan Pickford, smacked the far post, and caromed in. It was the kind of goal that makes you check the replay three times to believe it actually happened. Norway led 1-0, and for a moment, the quarterfinal stage looked like it might swallow England whole.
Bellingham bails out the Three Lions again
England has a habit of finding last-gasp answers in this tournament. Jude Bellingham delivered another one in first-half stoppage time. Anthony Gordon played him the ball at the top of the box, and Bellingham did what he’s been doing all tournament: he danced past two Norwegian defenders and placed a clean shot past Orjan Nyland. It was his fifth goal of the World Cup, and it might be his most important one yet.
That goal changed the entire feeling around this game. Norway had been the better team for long stretches of the first half. But they head into the locker room tied, not up, and that psychological edge shifts squarely to England.
The second half is going to be wild. This is Norway’s first ever trip to a World Cup quarterfinal. England has been here plenty of times. In fact, no country besides Brazil and Germany has played in more quarterfinals. But here’s the stat that haunts them: England has also lost more quarterfinals than any other nation, period. That history isn’t just trivia. It’s a weight this team carries every time they get this deep.
The winner moves on to face either Argentina or Switzerland in Atlanta on July 15. That’s a massive stage for a Norway team that wasn’t supposed to be here at all. But they’ve already proven they can hang with one of the tournament favorites. The question is whether they can finish the job.
(And no, Haaland hasn’t scored yet. That’s the thing nobody is talking about. Norway got a lead without him. That either means they’re dangerous in new ways, or it means he’s saving something for the second half.)
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