England and Argentina Both Reach World Cup Semifinals After Bellingham Brace, Messi-Assisted Win Over Switzerland

Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal slate lived up to the billing, with both England and Argentina advancing to set up a semifinal that pits two of the tournament’s biggest storylines against each other.

In Miami, Jude Bellingham scored twice, including the winner just three minutes into extra time, as England beat Norway 2-1 to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018. Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway a shock lead in the 36th minute, but Bellingham equalized before halftime and delivered the decisive blow late, pouncing on a rebound off a long-range shot from Morgan Rogers to beat goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.

Haaland Held Quiet After Historic Upset Run

Norway entered the quarterfinal off one of the tournament’s signature upsets, a 2-1 win over five-time champion Brazil in the Round of 16 fueled by a two-goal performance from Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker had scored seven goals through the tournament, one more than England captain Harry Kane, but was held largely in check on Saturday. A Norway goal that briefly appeared to restore their lead in the second half was overturned by VAR for a Haaland foul in the buildup, and England also had a potential penalty wiped out by video review before Bellingham’s extra-time strike settled the outcome.

Messi Sets Up Mac Allister to Get Argentina Rolling Early

Later Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium, Lionel Messi delivered a perfect corner kick that Alexis Mac Allister headed home in the 10th minute, giving Argentina its earliest goal of the tournament and the first time all World Cup that Switzerland had trailed. The defensive-minded Swiss had conceded just three goals across their first five matches before Saturday. Argentina held on to advance, continuing an eventful knockout run that included an extra-time win over Cape Verde and a three-goal comeback against Egypt in the Round of 16.

Switzerland’s run ends in the quarterfinals, but reaching that stage marked the country’s first appearance at this point of the World Cup since 1954, a landmark result for a program that had not advanced this far in the modern tournament era.

Wednesday’s Semifinal Sets Up a Blockbuster

England and Argentina now meet in Wednesday’s semifinal in Atlanta, a matchup between the reigning champions chasing history as they try to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to defend a World Cup title, and an England side looking for its first final appearance since 1966. Bettors weighing the semifinal odds can check out our Live Premier League Odds page for how English and Argentine stars have performed domestically heading into the tournament’s biggest week.

Both quarterfinal results reinforced a tournament narrative that has favored dramatic, late-game finishes over comfortable wins, and Wednesday’s semifinal figures to continue that trend given the firepower and stakes on both sides.