When the final whistle blew and England triumphantly drug itself off the field after capturing a 2-1 victory over Norway, there were a few things that were very clear:
- Jude Bellingham‘s opportunism and flair for the dramatic have made him a national hero.
- Despite the elimination, Ståle Solbakken just turned in one of the great coaching jobs in the World Cup of the last 20 years. Credit it to Thomas Tuchel, too…he pushed all the right buttons during the game (maybe not before with that start for Noni Madueke).
- Both squads truly left it all on the pitch.
It is not often these days where you can say a full field of players gave it everything. Some were good, while others struggled — but one thing was able to show through it all and that was the level of effort and heart that each squad put out.
Erling Haaland, John Stones, Julian Ryerson, and even Bellingham had worn themselves down to the point where they all had trouble functioning. Harry Kane, while not on the scoresheet, did so much to help his team win that it will not just be Bayern Munich fans singing his praises.
It was a gritty game and one that fans of both nations will remember for years to come. Was it controversial? Oh, no doubt. But beyond talk of cables, ball sensors, questionable calls, and player mistakes, these two groups can look back in 10 years and remember this one hot, humid night in Miami and think about the kind of will and energy it took to do battle with one another
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