Bellingham inspires England comeback as Arsenal stars reach World Cup semi-finals

In partnership with

Just Arsenal News

·12 Juli 2026

Bellingham inspires England comeback as Arsenal stars reach World Cup semi-finals

England booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after coming from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time, with Jude Bellingham once again proving the difference for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

The Three Lions were far from their best in the Miami heat but showed resilience to overturn a first-half deficit, setting up a last-four clash against Argentina on Wednesday.

Video OneFootball

From an Arsenal perspective, four Gunners featured during the dramatic contest.

Rice and Madueke start as Tuchel changes things at the break

Declan Rice and Noni Madueke were both named in Tuchel’s starting XI, despite sickness bug concerns for Rice ahead of the match, while Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze began the match among the substitutes.

Despite dominating possession, England struggled to impose themselves during the opening 45 minutes and fell behind in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross-shot looped over Jordan Pickford to give Norway a surprise lead.

The Scandinavians had opportunities to increase their advantage before the break, with Alexander Sørloth twice missing good chances, including one moment when he opted against squaring the ball to Erling Haaland during a dangerous counter-attack.

England were level just before half-time thanks to the outstanding Jude Bellingham, who collected Anthony Gordon’s pass before driving into the penalty area and finishing confidently into the bottom corner.

Looking for a greater attacking spark, Tuchel introduced both Saka and Eze at half-time in place of Rice and Madueke.

Arsenal duo help England reach the last four

England thought they had fallen behind again after Torbjørn Heggem found the net for Norway early in the second half, but the goal was ruled out following a foul by Haaland in the build-up.

Norway continued to threaten and came within inches of regaining the lead when Kristoffer Ajer headed against the crossbar.

Saka made an immediate impact after coming on, providing greater attacking intent down England’s right flank. His dangerous cross late in normal time flashed across the face of goal but narrowly evaded his teammates.

As extra time wore on and penalties appeared increasingly likely, Bellingham came to England’s rescue once again. After Morgan Rogers’ powerful effort was only parried by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, the Real Madrid midfielder reacted quickest to force home the rebound and secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

The result means England progress to only their fourth World Cup semi-final, where they will meet Argentina.

According to Sky Sports, England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted afterwards that he was delighted with the result but unhappy with his side’s overall display, believing they made life unnecessarily difficult despite reaching the final four.

For Arsenal supporters, attention will now turn to Wednesday’s semi-final, with Rice, Saka, Madueke and Eze all hoping to play key roles as England bid to move one step closer to lifting the World Cup.

How do you think we’ll do against Argentina Gooners?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ ADMIN COMMENT

So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….

You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.

CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through this link…