Kane plays peacemaker as Bellingham fires back at Tuchel over 'lucky' England win

Harry Kane moved to defuse a public spat between England manager Thomas Tuchel and two-goal hero Jude Bellingham after England edged Norway 2-1 in their World Cup 2026 quarter-final in Miami, booking a semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta.

Bellingham’s brace settled a gruelling extra-time contest, yet Tuchel’s post-match television interview struck a critical tone, with the head coach suggesting England had been “lucky” and questioning the performance. When those comments were put to Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder responded pointedly: “Yeah well, whatever, whatever. It’s difficult out there, it’s difficult. It’s a tough shift, all the players have put in a very tough shift so my thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there who put in a great shift yet again.”

Bellingham went further, appearing to question whether Tuchel fully appreciated the challenge his players faced. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth,” he said. “That’s not an easy team to play against so we’ve tried to create a positive environment, we should continue that going into the final four and I can’t praise the lads enough.”

Captain Kane, however, was quick to reframe the exchange. “When he sees us train and sees the closeness of us and sees what we can do, especially with the players we have, the way we attack, our one-on-ones and the skills — he just wants to see that version of us,” Kane said. “He knows as much as anyone that it’s not as simple as that, we’re playing against good opposition and good teams. He’s trying to drag it out of us and we know ourselves we have another level that we can reach.”

Tuchel himself later sought to close down the story, insisting there was no lasting issue and that he had “only love” for his players, while reaffirming his belief that England are capable of performing at a higher level. “I’m also a football coach and I think we can play better,” he added.

The victory secured England’s second World Cup semi-final in three tournaments. Attention now turns to Wednesday’s last-four tie against Argentina, though the squad faces an injury concern over Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice ahead of the fixture.