England have reached only their fourth ever men’s World Cup semi-final. How did they do it? We look at six takeaways from their victory in Miami.
When England stumbled to a 0-0 draw against Ghana in their second game of the 2026 World Cup, few would have foreseen them making it as far as the semi-finals.
That’s exactly what has happened, though, with Thomas Tuchel now just two games away from potentially bringing football ‘home’ and ending 60 years of hurt.
Their 2-1 comeback victory over Norway owed plenty to Harry Kane’s brace completed a comeback win.
They conceded twice against Mexico in the last 16, but that was in difficult circumstances, playing the co-hosts in the Estadio Azteca. They were also forced to hang on for most of the second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off, and some frankly heroic defending eventually sealed a 3-2 victory.
Norway was a different challenge, but despite sometimes appearing to be too passive and open, the only goal they conceded came from what was almost certainly a mis-hit cross, while England only allowed their opponents one big chance (a chance from which the attacking team would reasonably be expected to score). There was, however, also a disallowed Norway goal, too.
That was despite facing Haaland, who came into the game having scored in 14 consecutive competitive games for Norway. This was his first failure to find the net for his country since a UEFA Nations League game against Austria in October 2024.
636 – England are the first team to keep Erling Haaland from scoring in a competitive international match since Austria on 13th October 2024 (636 days ago).Shackled. pic.twitter.com/0xN2VJQvDD
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 12, 2026England have played so many different players in their backline, which is far from ideal, but despite some wobbly moments, Dan Burn again came off the bench to do what he was brought to the World Cup to do. In two short cameos against Mexico and Norway, the gigantic Newcastle United centre-back made nine clearances.
Going back to big chances, England have allowed seven in total at this World Cup, fewer than tournament favourites France (eight). Spain and Argentina have allowed five each.
Facing Lionel Messi, Julián Alvarez and co. will be another big test, but England are increasingly showing that they can stand up to pressure better than people perhaps gave them credit for just a few weeks ago.
Handling Momentum Shifts
There has been a lot of talk about momentum at this World Cup, especially with the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks.
Of course, drinking water isn’t the only cause of shifts in momentum in games. Game state, big moments, and sometimes just an iffy minute or two can cause big swings, and we saw things go back and forth quite a bit in Miami.
England started well enough, seeing a lot of the ball, albeit not doing much with it. The first shot of the game didn’t arrive until the 29th minute when Kane had an effort off target.
As you can see from the game’s momentum graphic below, though, that led to a spell of pressure from Norway, including a moment when Stones got caught on the ball in his own penalty area, almost allowing Haaland a simple goal, but luckily for England, the big striker wasn’t alert enough to take advantage.
It was a nervy moment that led to a few minutes of complete Norway control, which included Haaland having his first effort of the game – a header comfortably saved by Noni Madueke, who had struggled to make a mark on the game, not producing any shots or chances, and completing just one of his three dribbles.
On came their Arsenal teammates, Reece James returned from injury to replace left winger Ivan Toney could not come on, and England’s lineup would have been quite a bit weaker for a shootout had Norway equalised. It worked, though, with Burn helping England to close out a victory.
Can England Keep Relying on Kane and Bellingham?
Kane had a very quiet game. The England captain had just three touches in the Norway penalty area, the same as Madueke, who came off at half-time (Kane played the full 120 minutes).
That would have been a concern had it not been for Bellingham. England are not a one-man team, but there is an argument that they are a two-man outfit.
In Kane and Bellingham, England have become the first team in men’s World Cup history to have two players score at least six goals in one edition (six each), with the latter especially stepping up in the last two games.
His brace against Mexico, followed by another pair here, meant Bellingham became the first player to score 2+ goals in consecutive knockout appearances in the same FIFA World Cup since Diego Maradona in 1986 (two vs England, two vs Belgium).
It followed a trend for England at this World Cup, especially since Matchday 3, when they were struggling to break down Panama until Bellingham and then Kane scored the goals to win them the game and top their group.
It was Kane who turned things around on his own against DR Congo with two second-half goals in the last 32, then Bellingham’s braces against Mexico and Norway took them to the semi-finals.
Of course, others have helped. Gordon was excellent against Mexico, as were Pickford and his defence in the second half, but the quarter-final felt like one where if Bellingham hadn’t stepped up, England probably would have gone out.
Can England keep relying on moments from their two main men? Quite possibly, we’ve seen teams win the World Cup inspired by one standout player before, not least Argentina in both 1986 (Maradona) and 2022 (Messi), and England have two of them.
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