England superstar Jude Bellingham was unimpressed when told his manager Thomas Tuchel said his team were “lucky” to squeeze past Norway 2-1 after extra-time to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Tuchel praised the “world-class” Bellingham after his second straight brace dragged the Three Lions to victory, but the furious German manager was in little mood to celebrate despite England reaching the last four for just the fourth time in history.
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“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said in an animated on-field interview moments after his team’s win.
“The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance.
“The commitment is there, but it made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, lots of safety, not fast enough, not enough. We were lucky today.”
Bellingham was less than impressed with his manager’s reaction.
“Whatever. Whatever,” the Real Madrid midfielder said after a gruelling 120 minutes in the searing Miami heat.
“It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there.”
Bellingham’s body language also revealed his displeasure with Tuchel’s comments.
The 23-year-old then expanded on the issue in another post-match interview.
“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Ødegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sørloth,” Bellingham said of the former Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss.
“That’s not an easy team to play against. So, I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment. You’re not going to win every game, popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight.”
Bellingham was then asked if agreed with Tuchel’s “lucky” verdict.
“No comment,” he replied.
Bellingham and Tuchel have had a testing relationship since the German took charge of the England national team last year.
Media reports of a rift between the pair emerged in 2025 when Tuchel described Bellingham’s behaviour as “repulsive” when the midfielder was visibly unhappy to being substituted in a match against Albania.
That led to suggestions that Tuchel may leave Bellingham at home as he did with the likes of Bellingham’s Real Madrid teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
But the pair cleared the air in a meeting earlier this year and England would most likely be out of the tournament already if not for Bellingham.
He has scored seven goals so far, only French star Kylian Mbappe has scored more goals in a World Cup at a younger age.
While Bellingham and captain Harry Kane have scored 12 of England’s 13 goals in the tournament.
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They will now face Argentina in Atlanta on Thursday morning as they attempt to reach the World Cup final for the first time in 60 years.
Tuchel said later he had no doubt over his players’ effort but was adamant that his team would need to improve to progress further in the competition.
“I’m impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, the belief and to overcome adversity and to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level,” the German coach said at the post-match press conference.
“Full credit to the team, we found a way in the last four. This is of course the most important but the analysing head of me and the football coach still thinks that we can and have played better football.”
Kane said in an interview that Tuchel gave the same message in the dressing room.
“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, which in a way is a good thing,” he said.
“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.”
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England were fortunate in two major refereeing decisions.
Bellingham’s first goal was allowed to stand despite Norwegian protests that the ball had struck the TV camera suspended above the pitch in the build-up.
Norway also had a second goal disallowed in the second half after a VAR review for a foul by Erling Haaland before a corner had been taken.
“We were lucky. I stand with that,” added Tuchel.
“No one ever denies that you need luck to go far in tournament football. You need moments where you’re lucky, otherwise it’s just not possible “I see no harm in admitting it. It’s just the way I felt.”
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Tuchel was more fulsome in his praise for Bellingham, who again rose to the occasion to be a national hero.
After scoring twice in England’s memorable 3-2 win over Mexico in the Estadio Azteca in the last 16, Bellingham became the first player since Argentine legend Diego Maradona 40 years ago to score back-to-back braces in World Cup knockout games.
“World-class performance from a world-class player,” said Tuchel. “In big, big moments, crucial moments, he was absolutely top class.”