Bellingham Channels Pele as England March Into Semifinals

Jude Bellingham has written his name into World Cup folklore once again. The Real Madrid midfielder delivered a second straight knockout brace to carry England past Norway 2-1 in extra time on Saturday, booking a semifinal date with Argentina. Trailing at the break inside Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, England looked sluggish until Bellingham produced a moment of individual brilliance. Picking the ball up near midfield, he drove at the Norwegian defense, exchanged passes with a teammate, and smashed a left-footed finish into the far corner to level the score just before halftime. With the game locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, extra time belonged to Bellingham. Showing the instincts of a natural poacher, he tapped home from close range after a goalmouth scramble to seal the victory. The brace took Bellingham’s tally to six goals in six games this summer — a run that has silenced every pre-tournament doubt. After an injury-hit campaign at Real Madrid, he was even questioned by England boss Thomas Tuchel, who famously said his mother found Bellingham’s behavior “repulsive.” But on the biggest stage, the 23-year-old has responded with historic numbers. At 23 years and 12 days old, Bellingham became the second-youngest player to score two or more goals in successive World Cup knockout matches. Only Brazil’s Pele — who was 17 years and 249 days old in 1958 — sits ahead of him. Bellingham had already starred in group wins over Croatia and Panama and then bagged a double in the round-of-16 triumph against Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Now he will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semifinals, and crucially, he avoided a yellow card against Norway, meaning he will be available for the clash. England’s quest for a second World Cup title continues, and Bellingham is leading the charge.