England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted his side were fortunate to defeat Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals, saying a place in the last four should not hide what he described as an underwhelming performance.
England secured a 2-1 extra-time victory after Jude Bellingham scored twice to overturn Andreas Schjelderup’s opening goal, booking a semi-final meeting with Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Although the result kept England’s hopes of winning the World Cup alive, Tuchel said he was dissatisfied with the overall display and believes his players will have to perform at a higher level if they are to reach the final.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said.
“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.”
England’s victory sends them into only their fourth World Cup semi-final, but Tuchel insisted the performance left plenty of room for improvement despite the team’s progress.
The German coach praised his players for their determination and ability to respond under pressure, while maintaining that the football itself fell below the standard he expects.
“I’m impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, the belief and to overcome adversity and to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level,” he said.
“Full credit to the team, we found a way in the last four. This is of course the most important but the analysing head of me and the football coach still thinks that we can and have played better football.”
The quarter-final also featured two controversial incidents that went in England’s favour.
Bellingham’s first goal stood despite claims from Norway that the ball had struck a suspended television camera during the build-up to the goal.
Later in the match, Norway thought they had scored again, only for the effort to be ruled out after a video assistant referee review determined that Erling Haaland had committed a foul before a corner was taken.
Tuchel accepted that those moments contributed to England’s progress and said fortune is often required to succeed in major tournaments.
“We were lucky. I stand with that,” he said.
“No one ever denies that you need luck to go far in tournament football. You need moments where you’re lucky, otherwise it’s just not possible.
“I see no harm in admitting it. It’s just the way I felt.”
Despite his criticism of the team’s overall display, Tuchel reserved special praise for Bellingham, whose two goals proved decisive once again after the midfielder had also inspired England’s last-16 victory over Mexico.
“World-class performance from a world-class player,” Tuchel said.
“In big, big moments, crucial moments, he was absolutely top class.”
Bellingham, however, appeared unconcerned by his manager’s assessment of England’s performance when asked about the comments after the match.
“Whatever. Whatever,” the Real Madrid midfielder said.
“It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there.”
The brace also took Bellingham to six goals in six appearances at the 2026 World Cup, leaving him level with Harry Kane in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.
England are now one victory away from reaching their first World Cup final since 1966, but Tuchel has made clear that a significant improvement will be needed when his side face Argentina for a place in the tournament’s showpiece match.
