Bellingham fires back at Tuchel criticism after scoring twice to send England to World Cup semi-finals

Jude Bellingham delivered a blunt “whatever” to Thomas Tuchel after the England manager publicly criticised his side’s performance, despite Bellingham’s brace sealing a 2-1 World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway that sends the Three Lions into the last four.

Bellingham scored both of England’s goals on the night and was named Man of the Match, becoming the second-youngest player after Pelé to score braces in back-to-back World Cup knockout games. England will now face the winner of Argentina versus Switzerland in the semi-finals, returning to that stage for the first time since their 2-1 defeat to Croatia in 2018.

Speaking to ITV after the match, Tuchel made no attempt to hide his frustration. “We made life very difficult for ourselves today. I’m not happy with the performance,” he said, acknowledging the commitment of his players but adding that the display was “sloppy” and riddled with “a lot of technical mistakes” and a lack of pace.

When ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke relayed those comments to Bellingham pitchside, the Real Madrid midfielder’s response was pointed. “Whatever. Whatever. It’s difficult out there — the players put in a very tough shift,” he said. “My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there.”

Asked to characterise the performance himself, Bellingham settled on a single word: character. “Perseverance when things weren’t working. Whether it’s 90, 120, we’ll give everything we’ve got,” he added.

The exchange lays bare a tension between Tuchel’s demand for a higher standard of play and the dressing room’s sense that grinding through a knockout game deserves more credit than it received. England have reached the final four of a World Cup for only the second time since 1990, and Bellingham — their match-winner on both occasions in the knockout rounds — appears in no mood to let the manager’s post-match verdict go unchallenged.