Before the half-hour mark, it was almost two when Parris crossed to White. She hit it on the volley; a quality strike but it went straight to the far post. Most of the stadium assumed it was going in. England was still pressing on and in the 40th minute, they were able to.

Again, Bronze and Parris were able to link up, after a pass from Houghton. Parris was able to find White in the box, and she tapped it into the goal. It was a true team goal; exceptional play all around.

As the half time whistle blew, the team walked off high fiving the rest of the squad on their way to the dressing room. They’d had an incredible first half with the excitement and tempo that comes with a World Cup quarterfinal.

Phil Neville was relentless in his half time interview saying he still wanted “ruthlessness in the final third.”

“World Cup quarter-finals are hard, nobody hands it to you on a plate. Norway will give it a good go.”

Norway did start the second half well, attacking strongly but they were still no match with Houghton. Norway had to go for it, but it meant leaving more gaps than before.

Before the hour mark, Bronze struck England’s third. She’d been one of the best players in the game so far and she deserved to be on the scoresheet. Beth Mead, who had come on minutes earlier passed across the edge of the box and Bronze wasted no time. She got so much power behind it and the goalkeeper didn’t stand a chance.

The result

There were some sloppy moments and silly mistakes that crept in during both halves. Neville will be disappointed with that and will be keen to make sure this isn’t happening for the semi.

It could have been four for England when Houghton was brought down by with a nudge to the back by Maria Thorisdottir in the box. The referee wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot and Parris stepped up.

But it wasn’t to be. Just like the England v Argentina game, her strike went straight into the hands of the keeper. She seems to be thinking too much before she strikes the ball.

England played incredibly well. Towards the end of the game, the Norwegians were working hard to make sure the score line didn’t look any worse for them. England will play the winner of tomorrow’s semi-final between France and the USA (which should be a cracker of a match) on Tuesday in Lyon and they go in looking like they could beat anyone.

Dion Dublin summed it up perfectly in his post-match analysis when he said Norway was a “top team we made look average.” Here’s hoping the Lionesses can make another team look relatively average next week.

Pictures: Getty

Women’s World Cup: England win quarter final game against Norway