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England midfielder Jude Bellingham defended his teammates after head coach Thomas Tuchel criticised the team's performance despite their 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, according to Sky Sports.
Tuchel had admitted after the match that England were fortunate to progress and said the Three Lions needed to improve ahead of the semifinals. "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic - we're in the last four - but I'm not happy with the performance. We got lucky today. We need to play better. We will get better, we need to get better," Tuchel said after the match, as quoted by FIFA. Reacting to those remarks, Bellingham acknowledged the demanding nature of the contest and praised the effort put in by the entire squad. "Yeah, well. Whatever. Whatever. It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there," Bellingham said, as quoted by Sky Sports. Coming to the match, Bellingham fired a brace as England fought back from a goal down to defeat Norway in extra time and seal a place in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Real Madrid midfielder struck a late equaliser in the first half before netting the decisive goal in extra time to complete a 2-1 comeback victory for Thomas Tuchel's side. Norway made the brighter start and took the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, who finished clinically after Erling Haaland had earlier tested England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a header. England responded just before the break when Bellingham surged forward and calmly slotted home the equaliser. Harry Kane appeared to have put England ahead moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Norway thought they had regained the lead before the hour mark when Torbjorn Heggem found the net, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, which penalised Haaland for a foul on Elliot Anderson during the build-up. The Norwegians continued to threaten, with Kristoffer Ajer hitting the crossbar, while England also came close through Djed Spence after a mistake by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. With neither side able to find a winner in normal time, the contest went into extra time. Bellingham proved the difference, reacting quickest after Nyland spilled a powerful effort from substitute Morgan Rogers to score from close range and send England into the last four. England will now face either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals at Atlanta Stadium on July 15. Bellingham was named Player of the Match. He and captain Harry Kane have now scored six goals each at the 2026 World Cup, marking the first time two England players have netted at least five goals in a single edition of the tournament. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also achieved a major milestone, making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance to become England's most-capped goalkeeper in World Cup history, surpassing Peter Shilton's previous record of 17 matches. For Norway, the defeat ended a memorable campaign that included their first-ever appearance in a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal. Their previous best performances had been Round of 16 finishes in 1938 and 1998, alongside a group-stage appearance at the 1994 World Cup. (ANI).
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