Inspired use of substitutes allied to a stunning winning goal from Lucy Bronze ensured England finally won their first knockout game at a World Cup finals. No matter that Mark Sampson’s side were required to come from behind after an edgy, erratic start. More audacious tactics from the Lionesses’ young coach ultimately earned a quarter-final place.

The next chapter will unfold in Vancouver on Saturday night – or the early hours of Sunday in the UK – against the host nation. By way of further spice Canada are managed by John Herdman, a Newcastle United supporter from Consett in County Durham.

“The team have made history. The team deserve all the credit in the world. They knew this was a big game for them, they wanted to put their names in English football history and the squad have stepped up and delivered for the country,” said Sampson. “We’ve seen in the tournament if you concede the first goal it’s incredibly difficult to win the game. This group of 23 players have shown brilliant resilience, fantastic character and excellent game discipline to come back and win that match. We’ll take huge confidence from this victory.

“It’s a squad effort, the guys on the bench were absolutely outstanding today. The impact they made again. You saw the subs and their support today. The objective was to get to Vancouver, we’re there now and we want this journey to continue.”

Norwegian reporters were applying factor 50 sun block in the press box at kick off where the temperature was 27 degrees centigrade. Pleasant as it was to sit in such wonderful warmth it cannot have been so nice down on the pitch where the artificial turf boosted the ground level mercury to well over 40 degrees.

Judging by his love of tactical surprise Sampson should make a fine chess player. Here he arranged England in a flexible 4-1-4-1 with Fara Williams sitting deep, Toni Duggan the attacking spearhead and Karen Carney and Fran Kirby occupying the wide roles. Controversially there was, once again, no starting place for Jill Scott in central midfield. Indeed England’s coach has not named her in a first XI since declaring Scott to be the “midfielder of Canada 2015”.

Supremely confident – although not arrogant – Norway claim they are probably the tournament’s fittest team but Isabell Herlovsen swiftly emphasised she is quick as well as athletic after pouncing on a rare Carney error. That left her accelerating towards Karen Bardsley but, reacting well to the danger, Bardsley raced off her line, cleverly narrowing the angle. Suddenly under acute pressure Herlovsen miscued and the chance was lost.

When Kristine Minde eluded Claire Rafferty at the far post she was well placed to meet Solveig Gulbrandsen’s long diagonal ball. Fortunately for the Lionesses the angle was awkward and Minde could not squeeze her shot into the bottom corner.

Twenty-five minutes had passed before the first water break – by which time Ingrid Hjelmseth, Norway’s goalkeeper, had frequently seemed temporarily blinded by the strong sun in her eyes. Bronze had no such excuse when her ill-judged backpass was intercepted by the menacing Ada Hegerberg who creditably stayed on her feet under pressure before shooting straight at the impressive Bardsley. England could count themselves fortunate Hegerberg – who had earlier headed a presentable chance wide – did not attempt to win a penalty.

It was proving a deceptively poor England performance, although Sampson’s decision to move Katie Chapman a little deeper alongside Williams did improve things. With Lene Mykjaland having rather less room for manoeuvre than before, the Lionesses at least mustered the odd attacking move. Even so the closest they came to scoring in the first half was from a 35-yard Williams free-kick which drifted over the bar and a similarly off-target Carney shot following a corner.

With hindsight Sampson, whose early game plan screamed containment, was exhibiting the patience of a skilled poker specialist but it still seemed puzzling that Scott’s classy passing and technical assurance remained on the bench.

Across in Norway’s dug-out Even Pellerud must have been reasonably satisfied. Norway’s coach – who led his country to World Cup glory in 1995 – will celebrate his 62nd birthday next month, making him virtually 30 years Sampson’s senior. Yet while it seemed a case of the master putting the apprentice in his place Laura Bassett and Steph Houghton, England’s central defenders, were largely preventing Pellerud’s front three from wreaking too much havoc. Or rather they were until Bardsley did well to turn Gulbrandsen’s shot round a post. When the corner was whipped in to the near post by Mykjaland, Gulbrandsen dodged Rafferty before heading Norway into a far from underserved lead.

As the corner was taken Scott finally came on to replace Kirby, who had been struggling badly throughout. Norway’s goalkeeper had not had a shot to save but, against all odds, she was soon beaten. The equaliser followed another corner, won this time by Scott. Houghton timed her run to meet Williams’s delivery to perfection and her ensuing header restored parity. The moment had arrived for Sampson to liberate Jodie Taylor from the bench. The Portland Thorns striker is his most incisive forward but she underwent knee surgery only eight weeks ago and the coach could not risk sending her on in Duggan’s stead any earlier.

Elise Thorsnes very nearly put Norway back into the lead only seconds after stepping off the bench but her angled shot swerved fractionally over the bar. When Bardsley was forced to save from Hegerberg England appeared up against it again but Taylor’s pace and Scott’s passing had offered them a certain momentum that was amplified as Bronze hit that eye-catching winner. Appropriately the two substitutes created the goal, Scott and Taylor combining to cue up Bronze, advanced from right-back, for a fabulous drive from the edge of the area which Hjelmseth touched but could not hold.

By now Norway’s proud boast of superior fitness rang hollow. Instead Pellerud’s players looked to be running on empty and were relieved to see their keeper save well to deny Chapman. Once again Sampson, supported by Bardsley’s heroics, had confounded the doubters.