Tuchel labels England ‘careless’ and ‘lucky’ in hot World Cup debate: ‘How can you ask?’

England coach Thomas Tuchel accused his players of “making life very difficult” for them during their victory over Norway in the quarter finals of the 2026 World Cup, adding that he was “not happy with the way they played” in their victory in extra time.

Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half goal ensured the Three Lions fell behind for the second time in the knockout stages before Jude Bellingham scored in the first half of normal time and extra time to send Tuchel’s side into the semi-finals against Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

“[We were] sloppy, [made] many technical errors [and were] it’s not quick enough, it’s not repeated enough,” Tuchel told ITV.

“We were lucky that the dedication was there but we made life very difficult for us with the way we played [and] how we played.”

2026 World Cup: Why Tuchel scolds England

England’s defensive weaknesses were again evident and they would have been 2-1 down but for Torbjorn Heggem’s strike shortly after the break, Erling Haaland was sent off for fouling Elliot Anderson.

“The result is good,” Tuchel agreed. “We are in the last four. It’s surprising but I’m not happy playing.”

The World Cup player defended the anger and spirit of his players. “How can you ask the mind now?” asked Tuchel.

“This is a pure concept, you can close it and sell it, the quality of our game [I criticise] – that’s all. It has nothing to do with the mind.

England vs Norway: The Three Lions will ‘get better’ at the World Cup

Along with Haaland’s seven goals, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe – both with eight goals before the hosts face Switzerland on Sunday – are the only players to have taken Bellingham out of the final.

“Enough,” offered Tuchel. “Making all the games. World class.”

Having beaten DR Congo, Mexico and Norway by a goal in the playoffs, England could face a big challenge in the semi-finals.

“We will get better,” said Tuchel. “We have to be better. Now it’s the festival, now we put everything in. We have three days. We need everything. We need a better performance.”

World Cup 2026: Where to watch England semi-final

In the UK, England’s semi-final will be shown live on BBC One on Wednesday.

Cross-device streaming is available via BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport.

England World Cup fixtures: Confirmed schedule, kick-off times

Here’s how England matches, results and a possible schedule. An asterisk denotes the first match from the previous day in a particular location.