Tuchel critical even after victory: "We were lucky today"

The England national team defeated Norway 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. However, while head coach Thomas Tuchel was pleased with the result, he openly expressed his dissatisfaction with his team's performance.

The German specialist called England's reaching the semifinals a great achievement, but did not hide the fact that it would be very difficult to reach the final with such a performance.

"We made it difficult for ourselves"

Tuchel believes that England made many technical errors against Norway and failed to maintain the pace of the game sufficiently.

"We made things very difficult for ourselves today. Nevertheless, the result is great. We reached the semifinals, which is wonderful. But I am not satisfied with our performance. In every aspect," he said.

The coach emphasized that the team showed dedication, but lacked carelessness and consistency.

"We were lucky today"

The England boss admitted that his team did not move fast enough and created opportunities for the opponent themselves.

"We didn't move fast enough, our game wasn't consistent. We were lucky today," Tuchel said.

This statement showed that despite the result, the coach has serious concerns ahead of the semifinals.

The problem is not psychological

Tuchel was asked if the players' performance was related to psychological pressure.

He said the problem was not in character, but in the quality of play.

"It's not about psychology. On the contrary, everything is fine in terms of character. You could even bottle it and sell it. The problem is the quality of play — we need to play better," the coach said.

Substitutes earned praise

Tuchel specifically acknowledged the performance of the players who came off the bench in the second half.

According to him:

• Reece James played an excellent game;

• Morgan Rogers performed fantastically;

• Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence grew stronger throughout the game.

The coach emphasized that these players brought the necessary energy and activity to the team.

A short but powerful description of Bellingham

Regarding Jude Bellingham, who scored two goals against Norway, Tuchel said there was no need for extra commentary.

"He performs at that level in every game. Jude is a world-class player," he said.

Only three days until the semifinal

England will face Argentina in the semi-finals.

Tuchel says the team has only three days to prepare.

"We will be stronger. We have to be. For now, we need to celebrate this success and enjoy the moment. We will need a lot to reach the final," said the England head coach.

Now the main question is — can England drastically improve their quality of play before the semifinals?