Jude Bellingham has launched a stinging response to Thomas Tuchel's assessment that England were lucky to reach the World Cup semi-finals. The Real Madrid star struck twice as the Three Lions came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time, setting up a semi-final showdown with old rivals Argentina.
Controversial Goals and VAR Decisions
The win was not without controversy. Bellingham's first-half equaliser was allowed to stand despite the ball hitting an overhead camera cable in the build-up. FIFA quickly claimed there was "no evidence" this had happened according to the in-ball sensor. After the break, Norway's Torbjørn Heggem had a goal ruled out by VAR for an Erling Haaland push on Elliot Anderson, despite the incident occurring before the ball was in play.
Bellingham produced another massive England moment in extra time, punishing Ørjan Nyland's fumble to send his nation into the last four.
Tuchel's Criticism and Bellingham's Response
German boss Tuchel was far from happy with the performance over 120 minutes. "The result is fantastic, we are in the last four – it's amazing – but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel told ITV. "In every sense. Again the commitment is there but we made life very very difficult for ourselves in the way we played, how we played: sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today."
However, two-goal hero Bellingham was having none of it. "Yeah, well, whatever. Whatever," he responded. "It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players have put in a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there and put in a great shift yet again. Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Ødegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sørloth. That's not an easy team to play against. So, I think we've tried to create a positive environment. You're not going to win every game, popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we've done that again tonight."
No Comment on Luck
When asked directly if he agreed with Tuchel's assessment that England were lucky, Bellingham replied simply: "No comment."
