Breathtaking first half in Miami: Norway 1-1 England

Norway and England met in Miami in the World Cup quarterfinal. The first half of the contest, played in hot and muggy conditions, ended in a 1-1 draw. In one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament, the opening 45 minutes witnessed a clash of two very different footballing approaches.

England dominated possession in the early stages, with their share of the ball reaching as high as 74 percent at one point. However, struggling to break down Norway's deep and disciplined defence, England had difficulty turning this dominance into chances. It was Norway who adapted better to the game following the hydration break.

In the 36th minute, right after Jordan Pickford had kept out an Erling Haaland header, Norway broke forward after winning the ball off Harry Kane, and Andreas Schjelderup fired a ferocious shot from a tight angle into the net off the far post to put Norway ahead. Following the goal, the Scandinavian side created two more clear chances through an Alexander Sørloth volley that flew over and a Martin Ødegaard shot saved by Pickford. Sørloth also wasted a big opportunity in a 2-on-1 with Haaland by choosing not to pass.

England's answer came in stoppage time. In the second minute of added time, from Anthony Gordon's cross after Elliot Anderson found him down the left, Jude Bellingham peeled away from the defence with incredible movement and fired a left-footed shot into the far corner to level the score; it was the young star's fifth goal of the tournament. A Harry Kane effort that found the net just before the whistle was ruled out for offside. With this match, Kane earned his 120th England cap, drawing level with Wayne Rooney as the joint-second most-capped player in the team's history. The second half will decide who claims the semifinal ticket.

Image: ESPN