Bellingham takes a dig at England coach Tuchel: “Maybe he doesn’t know …”

Mom Bellingham had been nagging her son Jude all week long. “Watch what you say. Be careful with your tackles. Keep your emotions in check,” said England’s match-winner, referring to the advice from Denise Bellingham. Under no circumstances should her son receive a second yellow card—and thus a suspension—in the World Cup quarterfinal against Norway.

Bellingham delivered. He scored twice and propelled England to a 2-1 victory in extra time in a hard-fought match marked by the heat and a camera cable. The English fans in Miami embraced each other as the hit “Hey Jude” played, and the remaining Beatles members themselves celebrated the “Three Lions” hero on Instagram.

VAR greift nicht ein

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Everyone is now eagerly awaiting the semifinal against defending champion Argentina in Atlanta. England needs just two more wins to claim its second World Cup title since 1966. The good news: Bellingham can afford to pick up a yellow card there, since, according to the rules, all cautions are cleared after the quarterfinals.

Not even in my wildest dreams

Bellingham’s confidence is anything but small, but what happened on that sweltering evening not far from the Everglades was hard even for the 23-year-old to comprehend. “This surpasses my wildest dreams,” Bellingham said. “I mean, you don’t go to bed at night and dream about games like this.”

And yet there was much that was both real and surreal unfolding before Sir David Beckham’s eyes at the Miami Dolphins’ football stadium. For example, a scene leading up to Bellingham’s equalizer. After a goal kick by Norway’s goalkeeper Örjan Nyland, the ball was stopped in midair by a taut camera cable, fell like a stone, and landed at the feet of Anthony Gordon—who then set up the goal.

Bellingham did not comment on the incident, saying he hadn’t seen it clearly. FIFA insisted that the chip in the ball had not recorded any contact, so the incident could not have happened that way. The Norwegians—and the TV footage—suggest otherwise. “Well, I’d rather believe the Norwegians than FIFA,” said former England national team player Gary Neville.

Norwegen im Pech

Bellingham schiesst England in der Verlängerung in den Halbfinal

Bellingham's goal sent the match into overtime, and a mistake by Nyland led to the Real Madrid star's second goal. "That was a world-class performance by a world-class player," said coach Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel's Dissatisfaction

The German coach said he wasn't mentally satisfied with his team's performance. “We can play much faster, with more precision, and with fewer unforced errors,” said Tuchel, who nevertheless praised his team: “That’s pure mentality. You could bottle it and sell it.”

Leading the way are the mental giants Harry Kane and Bellingham. Both have already scored six goals, a feat no English player has ever achieved at a World Cup. “I let Harry and Jude play together, and they take care of the rest,” Tuchel said, describing the recipe for success. He called them game-changers who love taking on responsibility. That’s impressive.

However, Bellingham was irritated that Tuchel criticized his team’s performance as “sloppy” and pointed out many technical errors. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play under these conditions,” the match-winner growled after the grueling, sweltering game that lasted more than 120 minutes. Bellingham had nothing but praise for his teammates: “They’re warriors.”

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