By: Tunji Okunlola
England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted his side were “lucky” to edge past Norway 2-1 after extra time to reach the World Cup semi-finals, even as he hailed Jude Bellingham’s match-winning performance as “world-class.”
There was little celebration from Tuchel despite England securing only their fourth World Cup semi-final appearance. Bellingham struck twice to cancel out Andreas Schjelderup’s opener, firing the Three Lions into the last four.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said in an animated on-field interview after the match.
“The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance. The commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for ourselves with the way we played; sloppy, too cautious, and not fast enough. We were lucky today.”
Bellingham seemed unmoved by his manager’s blunt verdict. “Whatever. Whatever,” the Real Madrid midfielder said after the gruelling 120-minute contest in the searing Miami heat. “It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players put in a massive effort, so my appreciation goes to everyone who gave everything on the pitch.”
England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta as they chase a first World Cup final in 60 years.
Speaking later at his post-match press conference, Tuchel struck a more measured tone, praising his players’ resilience while insisting there is more to come.
“I’m impressed with the shift they put in, the effort, the belief, and their ability to overcome adversity,” the German said. “To dig in and find a way to win is of the highest level. Full credit to the team for finding a way into the last four, and that’s the most important thing. But the analyst and football coach in me still believes we can and have played much better football.”
England also had the rub of two contentious refereeing calls in their favour. Bellingham’s opening goal stood despite Norwegian protests that the ball had struck a suspended television camera in the build-up, while Norway saw a second-half goal chalked off after a VAR review flagged a foul by Erling Haaland in the lead-up to a corner.
“We were lucky. I stand by that,” Tuchel said. “No one can deny you need luck to go far in tournament football. You need moments when fortune is on your side; otherwise, it’s almost impossible. I see no harm in admitting it. That’s simply how I felt.”
Criticism of the performance aside, Tuchel had nothing but praise for Bellingham, who once again rose to the occasion. Having scored twice in England’s dramatic 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, Bellingham now has six goals in six matches at the tournament thereby levelling with Harry Kane.
“World-class performance from a world-class player,” Tuchel said. “In the biggest moments, the crucial moments, he was absolutely top class.”
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