England into World Cup semifinal against Argentina after 2:1 win over Norway

The 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder thus became the matchwinner. Bellingham, with six tournament goals, is England's joint top scorer at this World Cup alongside Harry Kane. Together, the two attackers have scored 12 of England's 13 goals. No England player had previously scored more than five goals at a single World Cup.

Tuchel's criticism and Bellingham's reaction

Coach Thomas Tuchel was of two minds after the game. In a TV interview, the 52-year-old German sharply criticized his team's performance: "Ich bin nicht zufrieden mit der Leistung. Wir haben es uns durch unsere Spielweise sehr, sehr schwer gemacht. Schlampig, viele technische Fehler, nicht schnell genug, nicht konsequent genug. Wir hatten heute Glück." At the same time, he praised his players' mentality: "Das ist pure Mentalität. Die kann man in Flaschen abfüllen und verkaufen." And of Bellingham he said: "Das war eine Weltklasseleistung von einem Weltklassespieler."

Bellingham initially reacted irritably to his coach's criticism. Asked what he thought of Tuchel's assessment, he replied: "Was auch immer" – and added: "Vielleicht weiß er nicht, wie es ist, unter solchen Bedingungen gegen Erling Haaland, Nusa und Sørloth zu spielen. Das ist keine schlechte Mannschaft." He later softened his tone, saying: "Wir haben versucht, ein positives Umfeld zu entwickeln und jetzt, wo wir unter den letzten vier Teams sind, sollten wir das genauso fortführen."

Tuchel dismissed speculation about a rift between him and the team. "Es gibt keine Kluft zwischen mir und dem Team", said the coach. "Ich liebe mein Team und meine Spieler von ganzem Herzen." Asked whether he was satisfied with the performance, he replied: "In welcher Hinsicht? In jeder Hinsicht" – referring to the positive aspects of the game.

The controversial cable incident

Captain Harry Kane confirmed that Tuchel had both congratulated the team in the dressing room and pointed out areas for improvement. "Es ist positiv, im Halbfinale zu stehen und noch besser spielen zu können", said Kane. Tuchel added: "Ich lasse Harry und Jude zusammen spielen, und sie erledigen den Rest." Declan Rice was substituted at halftime due to injury.

Particularly controversial was an incident shortly before Bellingham's equalizer. After a clearance from Nyland, the ball appeared to have been stopped in mid-air by a Spidercam cable above the pitch before landing at Anthony Gordon, who eventually set up Bellingham. Norwegian players complained to French referee Clément Turpin that the ball had touched the cable. FIFA, however, stated that the sensor built into the ball had shown "no deviation" and that there was "no evidence" of contact with the cable. Had such contact occurred, a dropped ball would have been awarded.

Former England international Gary Neville said: "Also ich würde eher den Norwegern glauben als der FIFA." Norway's coach Stale Solbakken called the decision "unglücklich" for his team. A Norwegian goal was also disallowed by VAR after Erling Haaland was deemed to have fouled Elliot Anderson in the build-up to a corner. The goal had been scored by defender Torbjörn Heggem from a rebound off the crossbar.

Norway's bitter evening

Norway's substitutes Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb caused significant problems for the England defense. In the end, however, it was the individual quality of Bellingham that proved decisive. After the final whistle, Nyland wept on the pitch and was comforted by his wife and three sons. Bellingham collided with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the celebratory pile-on but was uninjured.

Bellingham, who had already received a yellow card before the quarterfinal and would have risked a suspension with another, said of the victory: "Das übertrifft meine kühnsten Träume." His mother had advised him before the game: "Pass auf, was du sagst. Pass bei den Grätschen auf. Achte auf deine Emotionen." Of his teammates he said: "Sie sind Krieger." The team celebrated at their camp in Kansas City with ice baths and recovery drinks.

Semifinal against Argentina

England faces Argentina on Wednesday at 21:00 CEST in Atlanta in the semifinal. The Argentinians advanced from the quarterfinal against Switzerland 3:1 after extra time. Julián Álvarez, "die Spinne", scored the decisive goal in the 112th minute to make it 2:1, with Lautaro Martínez also scoring in extra time. Breel Embolo saw a red card for Switzerland. Lionel Messi failed to score in the quarterfinal.

England, who won their first and so far only world title in 1966 on home soil, are now chasing a second star. At this World Cup, the first to be held with 48 teams in 12 preliminary groups, the Three Lions beat Croatia 4:2 in their opener, Mexico 3:2 in the round of 16, and now Norway 2:1 after extra time.

International press reactions

The international press paid tribute to England's fighting spirit. L'Équipe wrote: "Bellingham rettet das Königreich." Spain's Marca headlined: "Der mächtigste Wikinger ist Jude. Die britische Royal Navy versenkt das Schiff Viking." The Guardian wrote: "England musste hart kämpfen, hatte zeitweise Glück, gab aber einfach nicht auf, und letztendlich machte sich ihre Kaderbreite bemerkbar. Es wird gefeiert, aber nicht überschwänglich: Alle sind völlig erschöpft."

Wayne Rooney, 120-cap England international, said: "Ich fand das Interview von Tuchel großartig." Former defender Matthew Upson told the BBC: "Ich verstehe Tuchels Einschätzung. Wir alle sehen, dass England das viel besser kann." Former striker Alan Shearer also backed Tuchel, praising him for naming weaknesses.

Bellingham stressed that "dirty" wins are sometimes necessary: "Man gewinnt nicht jedes Spiel, in dem man tausend Pässe spielt. Manchmal muss man auch schmutzig gewinnen." Tuchel announced improvements in the coming days: "Wir können viel schneller spielen, präziser, mit weniger unerzwungenen Fehlern." And: "Jeder hier ist bereit für die nächsten acht Tage. Dieser Sieg hilft uns wahnsinnig."

In the unofficial Golden Boot ranking, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé lead Kane and Bellingham by two goals. All yellow cards were wiped after the quarterfinals, meaning England can head into the semifinal without any booking concerns. Germany were eliminated in the round of 16 by Paraguay.