England head coach Thomas Tuchel accused his gamers of “making life very, very tough” for themselves throughout their World Cup 2026 quarter-final win over Norway, including that he’s “not proud of the efficiency” of their extra-time victory.
Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half cross-shot ensured the Three Lions fell behind for the second time within the knockout stage earlier than Jude Bellingham struck within the first halves of standard time and additional time to ship Tuchel’s workforce to a semi-final in opposition to Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday (20:00 BST).
“[We were] sloppy, [made] lots of technical errors [and were] not quick sufficient, not repetitive sufficient,” Tuchel informed ITV.
“We have been fortunate. The dedication was there however we made life very, very tough for us in the way in which we performed [and] how we performed.”
World Cup 2026: Why Tuchel scolded England
England’s defensive frailties have been once more evident and they’d have fallen 2-1 behind however for Torbjorn Heggem’s strike shortly after half-time being dominated out for Erling Haaland’s foul on Elliot Anderson.
“The result’s improbable,” acknowledged Tuchel. “We’re within the final 4. It’s wonderful however I’m not proud of the efficiency.”
The World Cup rookie defended his gamers’ grit and spirit. “How are you going to ask about mentality now?” requested Tuchel.
“That is pure mentality. You may bottle it up and promote it. It’s the standard of our recreation [I criticise] – that’s it. It has nothing to do with mentality.
England vs Norway: Three Lions ‘will get higher’ at World Cup
Alongside seven-goal Haaland, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe – each on eight objectives earlier than the holders confronted Switzerland on Sunday – are the one gamers to have outscored Bellingham on the finals.
“Sufficient stated,” provided Tuchel. “He does it each each single match. World-class.”
Having overwhelmed DR Congo, Mexico and Norway by a purpose in the course of the knockout stage, England are more likely to face a considerably higher problem within the semi-finals.
“We’ll get higher,” stated Tuchel. “We have to get higher. Now it’s celebration, now it’s taking all of it in. We now have three days. We’d like all the pieces. We’d like a greater efficiency.”
World Cup 2026: The place to observe England semi-final
Within the UK, England’s semi-final can be proven stay on BBC One on Wednesday.
Streaming on an unlimited number of gadgets is accessible by way of BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport.
England World Cup fixtures: Confirmed schedule, kick off instances
Right here’s how England’s fixtures, outcomes and potential schedule look. Asterisk denotes match beginning earlier day in specified territory.
| Date | Match | Consequence | Stage | Time (BST) | ET | PT | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 17 | Croatia | 4-2 | Group | 21:00 | 16:00 | 13:00 | ITV |
| June 23 | Ghana | 0-0 | Group | 21:00 | 16:00 | 13:00 | BBC |
| June 27 | Panama | 2-0 | Group | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | ITV |
| July 1 | DR Congo | 2-1 | Spherical of 32 | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | BBC |
| July 6 | Mexico | 3-2 | Spherical of 16 | 01:00 | 20:00* | 15:00* | BBC |
| July 11 | Norway | 2-1 (AET) | Quarter-finals | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | ITV |
| July 15 | TBC | Semi-finals | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BBC | |
| July 18 | TBC | Third-placed match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | TBC | |
| July 19 | TBC | Closing | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
