Prince William and Princess Kate issued a heartwarming five-word response after England's 2-1 victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, securing a semi-final spot for the first time since 2018.
Royal Congratulations and Condolences
The Prince and Princess of Wales said they were "never in doubt" that the team would prevail, while also offering condolences to a "proud Norway" team. In a post on X, they wrote: "Well done England! Top performance in a tough environment. This is a special team. Commiserations to a proud Norway team. Onto the semi final… Never in doubt!"
Bellingham's Heroics
Jude Bellingham cemented his place in history by scoring two goals, including an extra-time winner, following his quickfire double against Mexico earlier in the tournament. Norway took an early lead through Andreas Schjelderup in the 36th minute, but Bellingham equalised during first-half stoppage time and scored again in the third minute of extra time.
The Real Madrid star is now tied with England teammate Harry Kane with six goals in this tournament, behind France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi, who each have eight.
Prime Minister's Jab
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joined the celebrations, taking a jab at Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. He played on a comment first used by a Norwegian commentator when Norway beat England in 1981, saying: "Norway 1 – 2 Jude Bellingham. @JonasGahrStore, your boys took one hell of beating."
Manager's Displeasure
Despite the win, England manager Thomas Tuchel was far from impressed. He said: "We got lucky. 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. We made life difficult for us in the way we played and how we played - sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough."
When asked about Tuchel's comments, a jubilant Bellingham said: "Yeah well, whatever," adding that it was a "tough shift" on the field.
