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England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted his side were fortunate to overcome Norway 2-1 after extra time in the World Cup quarter-finals, warning that the Three Lions must raise their performance levels if they hope to reach the final.
Jude Bellingham scored twice to cancel out Andreas Schjelderup’s opener and send England into only their fourth World Cup semi-final, where they will face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Despite securing qualification, Tuchel expressed frustration with England’s display, insisting the result masked an underwhelming performance.
“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.”
Bellingham, who also inspired England’s last-16 victory over Mexico, brushed aside his manager’s criticism after another match-winning display.
“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.”
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Tuchel praised his players’ resilience but stressed that England would have to produce a much better performance to progress further.
“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.”
England also survived two contentious moments, with Bellingham’s first goal standing despite Norwegian claims that the ball struck the suspended television camera during the build-up, while Norway had a second-half goal ruled out following a VAR review for a foul by Erling Haaland before a corner.
Tuchel acknowledged his side benefited from those decisions.
“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.”
The England boss also singled out Bellingham for special praise after the midfielder’s latest decisive contribution.
“World-class performance from a world-class player,” Tuchel said.
“In big, big moments, crucial moments, he was absolutely top class.”
Bellingham’s brace took his tally to six goals in six World Cup appearances, drawing level with Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot as England moved within one victory of their first World Cup final since 1966.
