Strand of God? Whether injustice or simply good luck, England deserve quarter-final victory either way

A Strand of God, if you will.

The Three Lions fought back from a first-half deficit against Norway to win their World Cup quarter-final match 2-1 at a sweltering Miami Stadium on Saturday evening, with Jude Bellingham stealing the show with a pair of crucial goals to propel his side into the semi-finals.

Bellingham's first goal, the equalizing strike in first-half stoppage time, drew some controversy as it appeared that a lofted clearance by the Norwegians struck a supporting cable for the Spydercam, the eye in the sky that travels above the play and gives viewers some of the more interesting views of the action. The ball appeared to deflect off the cable and fall fortuitously into the path of Elliot Anderson, who then began the move that resulted in Bellingham's impressive opening goal.

• Read next | Norway vs. England player ratings: Who played starring role as Three Lions win quarter-final?

FIFA put out a statement within minutes, declaring that there was "no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball."

Predictably, others online saw it differently, with some likening it to Diego Maradona's famous "Hand of God" goal against the English at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Given the way narratives tend to stick around and evolve these days, I'm sure that by the time you read this there will be another handful of consiracy theories attached to this fateful moment. Perhaps the Norway football association will have even launched a complaint.

Whatever the case, let's not lose sight of what really happened on Saturday in South Florida. Faced with yet another tough adversary, England willed themselves to victory for the second straight knockout match.

Led by the phenomenal Bellingham, who has scored braces in consecutive matches, the Three Lions stared down one of the tournament's darlings, got punched, and punched back with force.

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Was it pretty? No, a match played in a Miami cauldron that felt like 42 degrees Celsius at kick-off was never going to go down as an example of the beautiful game.

Were England particularly good on the night? Head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted in his post-match interview that they weren't, but he vowed that things will get "better" as the team have guaranteed themselves another two games in the United States.

However, what England did have was a star in Bellingham who has shown the ability to rise to the occasion, surrounded by a team that have shown a willingness to fight until the final whistle.

"Character. Perserverence. Even when things aren't working for us, we find a way to win," Bellingham said when asked to sum up the match from England's perspective. 

Not all wins are pretty. Some may not even be fair.

But what England pulled off against the Norwegians could go a long way towards defining the Three Lions' story at this World Cup, with a little divine intervention thrown in for good measure.

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