FIFA World Cup 2026: Tuchel says ‘lucky’ England must improve despite reaching semi-finals
England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance despite their 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the World Cup quarterfinals. While praising Jude Bellingham's individual effort, Tuchel insisted the team must improve to reach the final.
Why it matters
The manager's critical stance highlights the high expectations and pressure surrounding England's campaign to win their first title in 60 years.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said his team were "lucky" to squeeze past Norway 2-1 after extra-time to reach the World Cup semi-finals, but praised "world-class" Jude Bellingham after his two goals dragged the Three Lions to victory.
A furious Tuchel was in little mood to celebrate despite England reaching the last four for just the fourth time in history after Bellingham's double overturned Andreas Schjelderup's opener.
"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," Tuchel said in an animated on-field interview moments after his team's win.
"The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance.
"The commitment is there, but it made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, lots of safety, not fast enough, not enough. We were lucky today."
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