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England’s victory over Norway did not come without post-match controversy for the Three Lions.
Star midfielder Jude Bellingham scored twice to give England a 2-1 extra-time victory that sent them to the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time in their history. After the match, during an on-field interview, coach Thomas Tuchel noted that his team could have been much better.
“Today we made life very, very difficult,” Tuchel said in a post-match interview on FOX Sports. “The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It is incredible, but we are not happy with the performance… in every way.”
Bellingham, who scored both of England’s goals to increase his tournament tally to six, appeared to disagree with his coach’s criticism after England prevailed in the heat and humidity of South Florida, with temperatures reaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) at the start of warmups.
“Well, whatever,” Bellingham said, shaking his head. “It’s tough out there. It’s a tough change. My thoughts and thanks go to the players who made a big change.”
“I think it would probably catch you a little off guard,” former World Cup defender Walk Zimmerman told us of Bellingham’s comments and response. “That’s the kind of thing that would work, I think, at club level when you’re playing match after match. For a knockout tournament, I think the most important thing is that you can say we didn’t play well, and then you immediately acknowledge, ‘We won, we’ll move on. Let’s enjoy this today and see what we can do better.'”
Former US men’s national team coach and FOX Sports analyst Bob Bradley downplayed the impact of Tuchel’s comments, which struck a chord with Bellingham.
“I don’t think it’s anything,” Bradley said, calling the comments “post-game emotions.”
“Tuchel, like many of us, is never satisfied and always demanding,” Bradley told us. “Bellingham represents the players and the effort against a good team.”
Tuchel clarified in his press conference that he was “proud and happy” with how his team has overcome adversity, but added: “I am also a football coach and I also have demands… I think we can play faster. I think we can play more clinically.”
Bellingham added: “The game is broken down into a lot of different facets. Some of them are technical and tactical. For me, the most important one is psychological and how you can handle setbacks, how you can handle adversity. This team showed once again that they can do that, and that’s a really valuable skill and trait.”
Former US national team midfielder and FOX Sports analyst Sacha Kljestan believes the comments will not affect England as they approach a semi-final showdown with defending champions Argentina.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Kljestan told us. “He was clearly exhausted after putting in a lot of effort. Maybe after watching the game, he will see that England were a little sloppy that day. He has the right to say what he said, and I don’t think it should be a big deal.”
“Ultimately, I think it’s not a story, honestly,” Zimmerman added. “That’s going to be totally fine in the locker room. Neither of us are going to think twice about it.”
Next up for England is a semifinal round showdown against Argentina on Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET on FOX and broadcast on FOX One).
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