Whatever: Bellingham annoyed by Thomas Tuchel's criticism after England beat Norway
Jude Bellingham appeared annoyed by Thomas Tuchel's criticism of England's performance after scoring twice to guide the Three Lions to a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
Jude Bellingham appeared unimpressed by Thomas Tuchel's honest assessment of England's performance after the Three Lions booked their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday.
England came from behind in Miami after Andreas Schjelderup's first-half opener, with Bellingham equalising in stoppage time before scoring the winner early in extra time. The victory sealed England's place in the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time.
Despite the result, Tuchel was far from satisfied with his team's display. Speaking to ITV after the match, the England manager described the performance as "sloppy" and admitted his side had been fortunate to progress.
"The result is fantastic, we are in the last four. It's amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel said.
"In every sense. Again the commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today."
Bellingham, who was later informed of Tuchel's comments during his own interview with ITV's Gabriel Clarke, did not hide his frustration.
"Yeah, well, whatever. Whatever," Bellingham replied.
Norway vs England, FIFA World Cup 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
"It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players put in a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who were out there."
The Real Madrid midfielder had every reason to be pleased with his own display after dragging England back into the contest. Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead before Bellingham produced a controversial equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Replays appeared to show the ball striking an overhead cable in the build-up, although FIFA later said it had not affected play.
With both teams tiring in the Miami heat, Bellingham struck again in extra time, reacting quickest after Morgan Rogers' effort was saved to seal England's place in the last four.
The brace made Bellingham the second-youngest player after Pele to score braces in successive World Cup knockout matches. His sixth goal of the tournament also moved him level with Harry Kane in the Golden Boot race and matched Gary Lineker's record for the most non-penalty goals scored by an England player at a single major tournament.
Despite Tuchel's criticism, England captain Harry Kane defended his manager's approach, saying the squad understood why higher standards were being demanded.
"He just said in the changing room, massive congratulations and we should enjoy it and celebrate, but it still feels like there's a part of him that knows we can do better," Kane said.
"In a way, that's a good thing. If we are in the semi-final of a World Cup knowing we can still improve, still find another level, then we've got to take that as a positive."
Bellingham, however, preferred to focus on England's resilience rather than the quality of the display.
"When things weren't working, we found a way to win the game again. Whether it's in 90 minutes or 120, we'll give everything we've got," he said.
"You saw that there. Whoever was ready to come on came on and smashed it. I'm so proud of this team once again. We're in a World Cup semi-final."
England will face the winner of Argentina and Switzerland in the semi-finals as they continue their bid for a first World Cup title since 1966.
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Jude Bellingham appeared unimpressed by Thomas Tuchel's honest assessment of England's performance after the Three Lions booked their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday.
England came from behind in Miami after Andreas Schjelderup's first-half opener, with Bellingham equalising in stoppage time before scoring the winner early in extra time. The victory sealed England's place in the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time.
Despite the result, Tuchel was far from satisfied with his team's display. Speaking to ITV after the match, the England manager described the performance as "sloppy" and admitted his side had been fortunate to progress.
"The result is fantastic, we are in the last four. It's amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel said.
"In every sense. Again the commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today."
Bellingham, who was later informed of Tuchel's comments during his own interview with ITV's Gabriel Clarke, did not hide his frustration.
"Yeah, well, whatever. Whatever," Bellingham replied.
Norway vs England, FIFA World Cup 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
"It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players put in a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who were out there."
The Real Madrid midfielder had every reason to be pleased with his own display after dragging England back into the contest. Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead before Bellingham produced a controversial equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Replays appeared to show the ball striking an overhead cable in the build-up, although FIFA later said it had not affected play.
With both teams tiring in the Miami heat, Bellingham struck again in extra time, reacting quickest after Morgan Rogers' effort was saved to seal England's place in the last four.
The brace made Bellingham the second-youngest player after Pele to score braces in successive World Cup knockout matches. His sixth goal of the tournament also moved him level with Harry Kane in the Golden Boot race and matched Gary Lineker's record for the most non-penalty goals scored by an England player at a single major tournament.
Despite Tuchel's criticism, England captain Harry Kane defended his manager's approach, saying the squad understood why higher standards were being demanded.
"He just said in the changing room, massive congratulations and we should enjoy it and celebrate, but it still feels like there's a part of him that knows we can do better," Kane said.
"In a way, that's a good thing. If we are in the semi-final of a World Cup knowing we can still improve, still find another level, then we've got to take that as a positive."
Bellingham, however, preferred to focus on England's resilience rather than the quality of the display.
"When things weren't working, we found a way to win the game again. Whether it's in 90 minutes or 120, we'll give everything we've got," he said.
"You saw that there. Whoever was ready to come on came on and smashed it. I'm so proud of this team once again. We're in a World Cup semi-final."
England will face the winner of Argentina and Switzerland in the semi-finals as they continue their bid for a first World Cup title since 1966.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
