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.

Thomas Tuchel’s Fiery England Interview

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After securing progression to the semi-final with an extra-time victory, Tuchel showed his mentality by claiming the performance from his team was not good enough.

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

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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.”

Conor McGregor’s longtime coach, John Kavanagh, has revealed the truth about his knee injury.

McGregor suffered an ignominious defeat to Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday. With just 69 seconds on the clock, the fight had to be stopped after the Irishman suffered a right knee injury following a kick he threw in the opening seconds of the fight.

UFC 329 marked an end to the Irishman’s five-year absence from fighting since he suffered a broken left knee against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. There was much anticipation for the event, but ultimately it was an anticlimax.

With McGregor suffering the injury so early into the bout, speculation mounted that it may have been pre-existing. That rumour was shot down by the fighter on social media, where he stated “this came out of nowhere.” Coach Kavanagh has since reiterated that point with a post of his own.

John Kavanagh Reveals All About Conor McGregor’s Knee

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Writing on Facebook, the coach said: “Devastated. That opening jump switch kick was drilled daily for months, multiple times in warm-up. Never an issue.

The full extent of the injury has not been revealed, but UFC CEO Dana White said he and doctors believe it might be a torn ACL, something which he suffered in 2013. Recovery time for such an injury can be anywhere between six and 12 months, and with the Irishman 37 years old, it puts doubt over whether we will ever see him return to the cage again.

Dana White & Conor McGregor React to Knee Injury

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White also said that he does not believe the injury was a pre-existing one, highlighting his actions in the build-up to the press conference and weigh-in, including a moment where he ran up on Holloway during a face-off.

“If there was a pre-existing injury, somebody would have noticed,” White said.

While there are many who believe this injury will be fatal to his UFC career, the Dublin-born fighter can never be ruled out.

“I was so sharp and so ready for ​this fight ⁠I cannot believe what has happened. The talk of me being off while walking into the fight is nonsense,” McGregor posted on his X account.

UFC 329 was filled with drama and disappointment as the Octagon saw the return of Conor McGregor. Just as shocking as some of the action in the cage, however, is the financials of the stars after the event’s salaries have been released.

With McGregor returning to the cage for the first time in five years, facing off against Max Holloway, there was more than mere money on the mind.

Heading into the fight, anticipation could not have been higher. The UFC world was seeing the fated return of one of its all-time legends. The pair traded verbal blows in the build-up, with McGregor even snatching Holloway’s sunglasses off his head, adding fuel to a fire that was already burning bright.

Conor McGregor’s Return Ends in Injury Heartbreak

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Due to the Irishman’s recent absence from the sport, Holloway entered the fight as the favourite. With the American in good form and good shape, it was always going to be an uphill challenge for McGregor to compete.

However, hope was high, and the hype was higher, as fans tuned in to see McGregor’s comeback. Unfortunately, that hype met an anticlimactic end. In the first round, after just 69 seconds, McGregor suffered a TKO defeat after an injury to his knee.

Looking to make a fast start, the Irishman tried to land a leaping kick and ended up blowing out his knee. He suffered what could possibly be a torn ACL, which can take nine to 18 months to recover from. Talks of a trilogy fight had been mentioned, but with McGregor now 37 years old, he may never fight again.

He described the situation as ‘hell‘, but vowed a return.

Paddy Pimblett Destroys Benoit Saint Denis

Elsewhere on the card, Paddy Pimblett made a title claim with victory over Benoit Saint Denis. While McGregor’s fight was over all too soon, Pimblett’s fight ended even earlier.

With just 52 seconds on the clock, the Englishman had Saint Denis in a guillotine choke. The Frenchman, though, refused to tap out and so the referee had to intervene as he became unconscious.

It was the 31-year-old’s first fight since losing to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in January, with Pimblett calling for a rematch in the aftermath of his victory.

UFC 329 Fighter Earnings & Pay

Despite losing the fight after just 69 seconds, McGregor is estimated to have pocketed a staggering $32,000,000. His return was always going to come with eye-watering sums, but even so, he has earned unprecedented amounts of money from the fight.

His opponent, meanwhile, took home a measly $5,600,000 in comparison, over five times less than what McGregor took home with him.

Pimblett took home the third-highest sum of the night with a very healthy $1,850,000 to go along with his victory. Saint Denis may have left the cage with a loss, but he took $450,000 with him.

On the other end of the scale, there is John Garza, the 23-year-old debutant who suffered defeat and earned the title of the lowest earner of the night after he took home just $12,000.