Thierry Henry has launched a passionate defence of England and Thomas Tuchel following their World Cup quarter-final win against Norway.
Jude Bellingham was the hero again as his brace saw the Three Lions emerge from a third successive narrow knockout tie. Having beaten DR Congo and Mexico by single-goal margins, it was another tough evening for Tuchel’s side.
There was a hint of controversy, as pointed out by Erling Haaland’s father, when the ball allegedly struck a camera cable in the build-up to Bellingham’s first goal. FIFA, however, have dispelled that claim.
He told ITV Sport: “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four. It’s amazing. I’m not happy with the performance.
“In every sense. The commitment is there but we made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played. Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough.”
The German coach was then visibly irked when ITV interviewer Gabriel Clarke asked about the mentality of his team. “It’s not the mentality. This is pure mentality! How can you ask about mentality?” Tuchel hit back.
He continued: “It’s not about mentality. There’s no mentality problem! You can bottle it up and sell it. It’s about the quality of our games – it has nothing to do with mentality.”
Thierry Henry Unhappy With England Interviewer’s Question
Rula Rouhana via Reuters
Henry, who has been a regular part of Fox Sports’ World Cup coverage alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, wasn’t too pleased with the line of questioning.
“I didn’t understand the questions,” a clearly annoyed Henry said. “The guy (Tuchel) is telling you that actually it was all effort and mentality, and you’re asking about the mentality.”
The Frenchman went on to praise Tuchel’s high standards while claiming he wasn’t happy with Noni Madueke, who Ibrahimovic slammed at half-time.
Henry continued: “He was talking about the technical aspect of the game. He wasn’t happy with how the players were playing. I think he wasn’t happy with Madueke, not happy with the speed. That’s why he changed stuff straight away.
“You don’t even need to ask that question. If he’s making changes, it’s because he’s not happy with what’s out on the pitch. And what we cannot doubt with this team is the mentality that they have and the grit.”
Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland have renewed their long-term rivalry by exchanging insults in the aftermath of the latter’s son being knocked out of the 2026 World Cup.
England beat Erling Haaland and Norway in the quarter-final in controversial circumstances as referee and VAR decisions dominated the fallout. First, Jude Bellingham’s first goal allegedly hit a camera cable in the build-up, although FIFA have since denied that claim.
Then Haaland was judged to have pushed Elliot Anderson inside the England box, leading to Norway having a goal disallowed. His father, who was seen in the stands, instantly took to social media to make his feelings clear.
Erling Haaland’s Dad Unhappy After England 2-1 Norway
He then responded to a post about Bellingham’s game-changing performance, claiming Norway had been ‘robbed’. Haaland said: “Really? Saved by the referee. Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today.”
Those posts were brought up on The Overlap, with Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane giving their honest thoughts. Wright, an England legend, was dismissive of the idea that the referee decided the game.
“Is that sour grapes from Alf-Inge Haaland, saying well done to Bellingham and the referee? I think that was just a bit of a low blow from him,” the ex-Arsenal striker said.
Keane, while holding no allegiance to the Three Lions, was quick to have a slight jab at the Norwegian. The two men have a well-documented history, both having been involved in serious injuries to the other.
The Irishman quickly remarked: “If you’re having a drink, then you’re seeing the game differently.” He claimed Haaland was seeing things in a different light ‘because he always seems to be drinking alcohol at the matches’.
Keane did go on to give a more balanced view, explaining he thought the referee had favoured England in 50/50 decisions. However, he doesn’t believe the big decisions were wrong.
“Listen, I’ll always be trying to go the other way (against England) a little bit, if it’s 50-50, but the push is a push and then he heads it, so there you go
“Families and fans after games, we saw the interviews with the England manager, Bellingham, family members, they’re all a bit emotional so you try and give them the benefit of the doubt.”
He still concluded that the referee can’t be an excuse: “But when people wake up tomorrow morning, you won’t be sitting there going, ‘The referee’s cost us’. You can’t. You can argue a couple of decisions but you can’t say, ‘He’s cost us’. No.”
Haaland obviously wasn’t too impressed, as the Daily Mail reports that he took aim at Keane by commenting under a post: “Once a p***k always a p***k.” It has since been deleted.
The eyes of the UFC world were on Conor McGregor on Saturday as he made his return to the cage when he faced off against Max Holloway. But what should have been a memorable night for its drama and action, became memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Ending his five-year absence from the UFC, McGregor flew out the gates quickly as he attempted to land a flying kick on his opponent. Unfortunately, however, he landed awkwardly on his right knee, leading him to sustain a bad injury.
The Irishman was evidently suffering from the injury and the Las Vegas bout had to be called off by referee Mike Beltran after just 69 seconds.
In the aftermath of the fight, Holloway revealed that, despite suffering the early injury, which could possibly be a torn ACL, McGregor was briefly insistent on fighting on one leg.
Conor McGregor’s Yell After Suffering Knee Injury
Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
Speaking to Paramount +, Holloway said: “The referee said thanks for pushing him (to end the fight) because it is a hard spot. And Conor is crazy.
“Conor is like, ‘fight! fight!’, and I was like, ‘you’re f****** crazy, bro.’ For the first one, when he first fell down, he was like, ‘fight! fight! We’re good!’ And then he went down a second time, I could just tell. His whole demeanour changed.
“I had him weak in the knees, what can I say? I’m just praying for the guy, you know? All jokes aside, as a human being, even when I was in there I was saying to the referee, ‘Yo, this guy is done.'”
Later on at his post-fight press conference, Holloway added: “He brought his kids to the fight, come on. I’m not trying to beat up a wounded dog.”
“My head gasket is gone. Destroyed,” McGregor wrote on his X account. “I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”
With recovery time for ACL’s ranging from six to 12 months, there is a long road to recovery ahead of ‘The Notorious’, and at 37, it is not clear whether the Irishman will travel down that road. However, you can never rule McGregor out, and he has already taken to social media to vow a return, writing: “I will overcome this. I will not be deterred. I will return.”
Manchester United are in advanced talks with Aston Villa to sign Youri Tielemans, according to David Ornstein.
The Red Devils have made bolstering their midfield a priority this summer, and have already sealed a deal to bring in Andrey Santos from Chelsea for a package worth around £50m including add-ons.
A deal for Atalanta star Ederson had also been agreed, but United have now pulled out of that deal due to issues with his medical, and they have moved quickly to seal a deal for an alternative target out of the blue.
Man Utd In Advanced Talks to Sign Tielemans
According to The Athletic, Man Utd are now in advanced talks with Villa for the Belgium captain after identifying an opportunity to bring him to Old Trafford.
