It was a tight game, but England just about had enough in them to get across the line against Norway. Two goals from Jude Bellingham sent the Three Lions into the World Cup semi-finals, as they won the match 2-1.

A freakish goal allowed their opponents to take a first-half lead when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross looped over Jordan Pickford’s head. Just before the break, Bellingham then levelled the score, although his goal came in controversial fashion, with the ball appearing to hit a TV camera during the build-up.

The second half passed with more drama as Norway’s Torbjorn Heggem had a goal ruled out when VAR spotted a push by Erling Haaland, but just three minutes into extra-time Bellingham popped up with his second. Morgan Rogers’ strike was spilt by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, allowing the midfielder to steal in for the winner.

It was a tough game, and Thomas Tuchel wasn’t happy with his team. However, his response has not gone down well with Bellingham.

Thomas Tuchel Unhappy After England 2-1 Norway

Speaking to the press immediately after the win, Tuchel made it clear that he wasn’t satisfied with the performance, despite obviously being delighted to have made it to the World Cup semi-finals. He told the media: “We made life very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic, it’s amazing, but we are not happy with the performance.”

When pushed for more details, the German explained, “In every sense. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough: we were lucky today.” He was also quoted as saying:

His comments appear to have irked Bellingham. Speaking to ITV, the Real Madrid star seemed pretty dismissive of Tuchel’s criticisms, as he shot back: “Whatever. It’s difficult out there. A tough shift. Character, perseverance: when things weren’t working, we found a way to win a game. We gave it everything we’ve got. So proud of this team.”

While some might put the tension down to high emotions in the heat of the moment, he doubled down on his stance when talking to BBC Sport in another interview. Bellingham was asked, “Thomas has just been quite critical of the performance, does that just show the standards he expects?” The midfielder shot back:

Bellingham certainly didn’t pull any punches as he appeared to suggest Tuchel should have been more ‘positive’ with his post-game reaction. It will certainly be interesting to see how the German now repsonds to this criticism from one of his own key players.

For now, though, both men will just be relieved to have made it into the semi-finals.

Alf-Inge Haaland has taken aim at FIFA officials after Norway were denied by some controversial refereeing calls as England edged Norway 2-1 in their World Cup quarter-final.

The former defender’s frustration boiled over on a night when the margins, and the big calls, all seemed to fall in England’s favour. At the heart of it was Jude Bellingham, whose brace carried Thomas Tuchel‘s side through to a second semi-final in three tournaments.

Additionally, for Norway, having had a goal ruled out by VAR, they had another axe to grind following England’s equaliser. Many argued it should never have stood with replays appearing to show the ball striking a camera cable in the build-up — contact that would ordinarily bring play to a halt.

It was a tense, finely balanced affair between two well-matched sides, settled less by a flood of chances than by a handful of pivotal moments — but one that has left a bad taste in Haaland’s mouth. Astonishingly, the match produced just one yellow card, yet it hinged on two major VAR decisions and an offside goal chalked off from Harry Kane.

Haaland’s Dad Calls Out Referee

For Norway, the sense of grievance was real: their team effort matched England for long stretches, but they came away with nothing despite their spirited effort. Following the game, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano’s account posted after Bellingham’s record-breaking display, signing off with ‘Hey Jude’.

That grievance found its sharpest expression from Alfie Haaland himself, who responded to Romano’s tribute to Bellingham — “Brace against Norway. Six goals in six World Cup games. Always there when England needed the most. Hey, Jude.” — with a pointed, five-word jab of his own:

In reality, it was a frustrating evening for Haaland and Norway, whilst England themselves weren’t overly impressive, with Tuchel later commending the mentality of his players but criticising their overall quality.

Haaland’s Lack of Impact in England Win

England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring vs Norway via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Haaland was surprisingly quiet during the quarter-final tie, managing just one shot on target and completing just five passes out of the 13 he attempted, and his most notable moment was his foul on Elliot Anderson that denied a chance for his team to take the lead in the second half.

Norway originally took the lead through Benfica star Andreas Schjelderup in the first half, with a powerful cross/shot soaring past Jordan Pickford in a moment that sparked the game into life.

Bellingham hit back on the stroke of halftime, powering his way into the penalty area before firing a brilliant left-footed strike past Orjan Nyland to draw Thomas Tuchel‘s side level. Haaland’s foul on Anderson curtailed Torbjorn Heggem’s celebrations 10 minutes after halftime, when it looked as though Norway had gone 2-1 up, as the two sides then headed into extra time.

England struck quickly through Bellingham, who was on hand to tap in Nyland’s parry, ensuring he is the first player to score back-to-back braces in the knockout stage since Diego Maradona, and the youngest ever to do so after Pele.

Jude Bellingham dismissed Thomas Tuchel‘s post-match criticisms of England‘s performance despite their 2-1 victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals.

England reached a second semi-final in three tournaments, as Bellingham’s brace was enough to edge out a spirited Norway side, who originally took the lead.

Far from England’s best performance, it drew a passionate speech of constructive criticism from Tuchel, who hailed his side’s mentality but questioned their quality.

Bellingham hit back, calling the match “tough” as the Three Lions now await the winner of the final quarter-final tie between Argentina and Switzerland.

Tuchel’s Passionate Criticism

Paul Childs via Reuters

“We made life very difficult for ourselves,” Tuchel began. “The result is fantastic, it’s amazing, but we are not happy with the performance.” When pushed for more details, the German simply responded with, ​​​​​​​“In every sense. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough: we were lucky today.”

When asked if it was a mentality issue, Tuchel quickly hit back at ITV’s Gabriel Clarke, passionately hailing his players, stating that mentality is what drove the players to success:

Speaking on Bellingham, who netted another brace after his efforts against Mexico, he called the Real Madrid star “world-class” and claimed he produces “every single match”.

​​​​​​​Bellingham’s Bold Response

When the midfielder was told his manager was not happy with the team’s performance, Bellingham’s reply was rather eye-catching. He bluntly said:

“It’s difficult out there. A tough shift,” he added. “Character, perseverance, when things weren’t working we found a way to win a game. We gave it everything we’ve got. So proud of this team.”

Before Bellingham’s brace, a first-half strike from Andreas Schjelderup sparked the game into life, as the Benfica attacker fired an effort that toed the line between cross and shot. Regardless, it shocked England into life, who quickly hit back on the edge of halftime.

Bellingham received a smart ball from Anthony Gordon before carrying it into the box and firing low and hard past Ørjan Nyland to bring his side level. However, England had to be saved by VAR in the early knockings of the second half as Torbjorn Heggem’s goal was ruled out following a foul by Erling Haaland on Elliot Anderson.

The 23-year-old midfielder grabbed his second to settle the tie early into extra-time, netting his sixth in this tournament format, which is more than Zinedine Zidane managed across his World Cup career.