The sweltering Miami sun did little to heat up either teams’ attack, and it wasn’t until the 19th minute that England - having had most of the ball - generated the game’s first attempt when an Elliot Anderson cross was headed wide by Jude Bellingham.
That was enough reason for England to try a few more centres into the Norwegian box, and when an overhit ball from Nico O’Reilly was fizzed back across to him by Noni Madueke, he wasn’t able to react quickly enough to turn it goalwards.
The first hydration break seemingly did little to help Norway make their mark on their first major tournament quarter-final, conceding a free-kick at the edge of their own area which Harry Kane blasted over.
However, a cross from Julian Ryerson headed by Erling Haaland and caught by Jordan Pickford gave The Three Lions a warning, and just a minute later, Stale Solbakken’s side were ahead when an Andreas Schjelderup cross flew over Pickford and into the net.
Norway had their tails up following the opener and were in search of a second, as Alexander Sorloth headed over and Martin Odegaard tested Pickford at his near post. But their failure to capitalise was punished in stoppage time, when Anthony Gordon played a square ball into Bellingham’s stride, and he burst into the box and slotted his fifth of the tournament past Orjan Nyland.
Pickford set an England record of 18 WC appearances, but that was little consolation to a shaky start to the second half as he scrambled away a Sorloth chance and a Haaland header, before he and England received a let-off when a Torbjorn Heggem goal at a corner was overturned on review for a push by Haaland on Anderson.
Both sides made changes at the second hydration break to try and win the game, but it was still Norwegian corners that created the most drama, as Kristoffer Ajer hit the crossbar with 14 minutes to play.
Having repelled waves of Norwegian pressure, England finished the 90 the stronger. A dangerous Bukayo Saka centre had to be hooked away by Fredrik Aursnes, before Djed Spence charged down an attempted Nyland clearance, but the ball flew wide and the game headed to ET.
The 1966 winners had the legs to go the extra minutes, and soon Kane was testing Nyland with a header, and though the goalkeeper excelled there, he was guilty of spilling a speculative Morgan Rogers shot straight at the feet of Bellingham, who turned home to put England in front.
VAR then came to Norway’s rescue, overturning an England penalty after Spence was initially adjudged to have been fouled, but a bitter blow came at the halfway point of ET when Haaland was forced off with a suspected injury.
Patrick Berg fizzed a strike narrowly over to prove there was still a threat, before Nyland pulled off a superb double save to deny Spence then Saka to keep Norway alive.
But with another backs-to-the-wall defensive display at the death, England held on - only the second time in the last seven attempts they have beaten another European side in a WC knockout match, to reach just a fourth-ever WC semi-final and end Norway's fantastic run.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (England)
