England's players came together in a corner to celebrate the goal, hugging each other and shouting words of encouragement. But the goalscorer was no longer with them several seconds later. Jude Bellingham had dashed off to his own half, encouraging the masses of England fans in the stadium with a clenched fist and the classic cry of 'Come on!' He was not interested in celebrating the goal he had just scored; all he was bothered about was getting the game back underway as soon as possible. He wanted to win.
Now a key player for England, the 23-year-old helped his side reach the semi-finals with both goals in the 2-1 a hard-fought victory in which Thomas Tuchel's side came from behind, the Scandinavians were on top for large spells, and the winning goal came at a time when the match seemed destined for penalties.
Bellingham is more than just a midfielder and goalscorer, always playing with a sense of urgency. He runs hard when England are on top, but he also puts a shift in when the Three Lions are under pressure. He is the first to ask for the ball, and the first to speed things up when his team-mates need to show a reaction.
The former Birmingham City starlet has netted six times at this tournament, meaning he and Harry Kane have now scored 12 of England's 13 World Cup goals between them.
“I think the game is split into loads of different facets. Some of it is technical, tactical. For me, the biggest one is psychological and how you can manage setbacks, how you can manage adversity. This team showed yet again that they can do it and that’s a really valuable skill and trait to have,” said England's No10 after the match.
Quick transitions are a key component of Tuchel's style of play, and Kane and Bellingham tend to be the players who finish off moves. But England struggled against Norway, failing to find passing lanes and exploit the few gaps left by Norway when they defended with two banks of four defenders and five midfielders, respectively.
This saw Bellingham to keep calling and showing for the ball, often receiving it with his back to play, and on a few occasions several yards deeper so that he could drive forward. After Eberechi Eze came on for Declan Rice in the second half, the Real Madrid midfielder dropped a bit deeper to wrestle back control of the game, while the Arsenal star occupied more advanced positions. However, England continued to struggle.
But throughout England's toughest spells in the game, the former Dortmund star still showed plenty of resilience. The first example being his run into the penalty area which left opponents in his wake, before lining up a strike with his right foot. The second was the winning goal, when he followed in Harry Kane's effort, pouncing on a parry by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
No sooner had the referee blown the half-time whistle than Bellingham ran towards the changing rooms once again, as if walking were uncomfortable for him, as if keeping moving were part of his competitive spirit.
"Enough said. He does it every single match. [He's] world class," said Tuchel after the game, who then went on to add: "The result is fantastic, but [I am] not happy with the performance. We got lucky."
"Jude! Jude! Jude! Jude!" chanted the droves of England supporters in the crowd numerous times over the 120 minutes of play.
And Bellingham lets his football do the talking. He runs hard to press the opposition, to show for the ball, to dribble past opponents. He often decides to hold on to the ball to draw fouls or break through the lines with his physicality. And he also knows where the back of the net is.
“Jude's goals made the difference again. He has been decisive in recent matches and throughout the entire tournament. It shows that he has that gift for the important moments and key situations. His first goal was exceptional, and the second was simply that striker's instinct," remarked Kane.
Sources: FIFA Official
