Jude Bellingham Stands by Teammates After England's Narrow Win Over Norway
Bellingham Defends Team Performance
Following England's 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, midfielder Jude Bellingham came to the defense of his teammates after head coach Thomas Tuchel expressed dissatisfaction with their performance, as reported by a sports outlet.
Tuchel acknowledged that England was fortunate to advance and emphasized the need for improvement before the semifinals. He stated, "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic - we're in the last four - but I'm not happy with the performance. We got lucky today. We need to play better. We will get better, we need to get better."
Match Recap: England's Comeback Victory
In the match, Bellingham scored twice, helping England recover from an early deficit to secure a spot in the semifinals. He netted a late equalizer in the first half and then scored the winning goal in extra time.
Norway initially took the lead in the 36th minute with a goal from Andreas Schjelderup, who capitalized after Erling Haaland's header tested England's goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford.
Just before halftime, Bellingham surged forward to score the equalizer. Although Harry Kane thought he had given England the lead shortly after, his goal was disallowed for offside.
Norway nearly regained the lead before the hour mark, but a VAR review disallowed Torbjorn Heggem's goal due to a foul by Haaland on Elliot Anderson during the buildup.
The match remained tense, with Kristoffer Ajer hitting the crossbar for Norway and England's Djed Spence coming close after a mistake by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
With no winner in regular time, the match went into extra time, where Bellingham capitalized on a rebound from Nyland to score and secure England's place in the semifinals.
Upcoming Semifinals
England is set to face either Argentina, the defending champions, or Switzerland in the semifinals at Atlanta Stadium on July 15.
Records and Achievements
Bellingham was named Player of the Match, and he, along with captain Harry Kane, has scored six goals each in the tournament, marking a historic achievement for England.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also made history by becoming England's most-capped goalkeeper in World Cup history, surpassing Peter Shilton's record with his 18th appearance.
Norway's Journey Concludes
Norway's loss marked the end of a remarkable campaign, as this was their first-ever appearance in a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal. Their previous best performances were reaching the Round of 16 in 1938 and 1998, along with a group-stage exit in 1994.