FIFA 2026 | 'Whatever': Bellingham's blunt response to coach Tuchel's criticism after putting England into semis
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026 | 'Whatever': Bellingham's blunt response to coach Tuchel's criticism after putting England into semis")
Bellingham's not happy about coach Tuchel's criticism on England win Photograph: (AFP)
England beat Norway 2-1 in Miami to reach WC semis vs Argentina. Bellingham scored twice but hit back at Tuchel's post-match criticism, saying "whatever" when asked to respond.
England beat Norway 2-1 in extra time at Miami Stadium on Saturday (July 11) to reach their fourth World Cup semi-final, but the win did not stop head coach Thomas Tuchel from criticising his side's performance. England will face now defending champions Argentina in the last four of FIFA World Cup 2026. Jude Bellingham, who scored twice to inspire the comeback after Andreas Schjelderup had put Norway ahead, was clearly unimpressed with his manager's remarks, responding with visible frustration when asked about them after the match.
Why Tuchel called out England's win and how Bellingham responded?
Speaking to ITV after the match, Tuchel made clear he was unhappy despite the result, saying the outcome was "fantastic" but that England had made things "very very difficult" for themselves with a performance he called sloppy and lacking urgency, adding that his side had been fortunate to advance.
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Bellingham's not happy about coach Tuchel's criticism on England win Photograph: (AFP)
Bellingham, who scored a controversial equaliser just before half-time and then struck the winner in the third minute of extra time after a Norway goalkeeping error, hit back when told of Tuchel's comments, dismissing them with a curt "whatever" and instead directing his praise toward his teammates for grinding out a tough result.
Also Read - Why England's equaliser vs Norway was so controversial: FIFA explains camera wire incident
Pressed further, he added: "Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth. That’s not an easy team to play against." Asked directly whether he agreed his side had been lucky, Bellingham replied with "no comment".
Tuchel later stood by his assessment, and said: "We found the way to get through to the last four, which is of course the most important thing. The analysing head of me still thinks we have to play better. It’s not a problem, but no disconnect for me and my team."
What next for England in FIFA World Cup 2026?
England will now face Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday (Jul 15) at Atlanta Stadium for a place in the title showdown which is scheduled for July 19.
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Where to watch and live stream England's FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final?
England's semi-final in FIFA World Cup 2026 will be aired LIVE across WION's sister company Zee5 app and website. (link: https://www.zee5.com/)
