World Cup 2026: Tcholakh Criticizes England's "Sluggish Performance"
Los Angeles (AFP) – England reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America for the fourth time in its history, but once again, its qualification came with great difficulty, as it defeated Norway 2-1 after extra time (1-1 after regular time) in Miami. However, its German manager, Thomas Tuchel, did not express satisfaction with the team’s performance.
In temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, England fell behind to a fine goal by Andreas Schjelderup in the first half, before being rescued by Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, who scored a brace at the end of the first half and early in the first period of extra time.
Previously, the “Three Lions” remained a goal behind the underdog Democratic Republic of Congo until the 75th minute before winning 2-1 in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, the 1966 World Cup champions endured a tough test against Mexico, eventually coming back to win 3-2 with ten men.
Tuchel expressed his frustration with what transpired, stating, “We made things very, very difficult for ourselves. I am not satisfied with the performance.”
Tuchel also voiced his annoyance at questions regarding the team’s mental strength, saying, “How can you question the mentality? This is the mentality itself. It is a pure embodiment of fighting spirit, and you could bottle it and sell it.”
This is the fourth time England has reached the quarter-finals, following 1966 when they won the title, 1990, and 2018 when they finished fourth. It is also the first time they have achieved four consecutive World Cup victories since 1970.
However, the match’s best player, 23-year-old Bellingham, who became the second player to score two or more goals in two consecutive knockout matches after Brazil’s Pelé in 1958, was calmer than his manager. He said, “Well, it’s fine. The match was difficult, and all the players exerted a lot of effort. All my respect and gratitude go to the players on the pitch; they did a wonderful job.”
He added, “Perhaps (Tuchel) doesn’t know how it is to play in such conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa, and (Alexander) Sorloth.”
In their first World Cup meeting, England dominated the early stages of the match before Norway showed its attacking teeth.
Norway created chances and threatened through Sorloth and Odegaard, but England absorbed the pressure and was saved by Bellingham from a tense break.
Whenever England was in danger, Bellingham came to their rescue. He capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Orion Neland early in the first period of extra time, finishing from close range to score his sixth goal in the current tournament, two goals behind joint leaders France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, and level with his compatriot Harry Kane.
