Bellingham defends England team-mates after Tuchel brands quarter-final win 'sloppy'

Jude Bellingham has publicly contradicted England manager Thomas Tuchel after the German coach branded his side’s World Cup quarter-final performance ‘sloppy’, insisting Tuchel underestimates how difficult the 2-1 extra-time win over Norway truly was at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

Bellingham, 23, scored both England goals as the Three Lions came from behind to beat Norway in sweltering Miami heat and high humidity. Despite the result sending England into the last four, Tuchel was unapologetic in his assessment post-match.

“We got lucky,” Tuchel said. “We made life very, very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It’s amazing but [I am] not happy with the performance — in every sense. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough.”

Bellingham first pushed back in an interview with ITV before doubling down in a separate session with journalists, pointing to the quality of the opposition England had to contend with.

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth,” Bellingham said. “They’re not an easy team to play against. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You can’t win every game popping the ball and making 1,000 passes — sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that today.”

England have faced sustained criticism throughout the tournament, particularly over defensive vulnerabilities, but it was their attack that struggled most against Norway, who created the clearer chances across the 120 minutes.

Tuchel, for his part, was careful to separate his tactical frustration from any personal rift with the squad. “There is no disconnect from me to my team,” he said. “With my heart, I am fully in love with my players and my team, but we can play better — there are a lot of things to do better.”

England now face reigning champions Argentina in a semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, with kick-off at 8pm UK time. The winner will meet either France or Spain, who face each other in Dallas on Tuesday.