England were able to send Norway packing after a very close quarterfinals game in the 2026 World Cup. However, joy isn’t something that manager Thomas Tuchel is feeling right now, as he called his own team ‘lucky‘ to have won the game.
During the postgame interview, a visibly frustrated Thomas Tuchel said “We were lucky today.” The head coach of England was clearly heated as he also spoke on the team’s mentality and how the team fell short of his own expectations.
Tuchel also added, “I’m not happy with the performance… we made life very very difficult for us in the way we played. Sloppy, lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough.” His statement was addressed by Jude Bellingham, who dismissed his comments with a clear, short message.
England won in every key stat vs. Norway
While Tuchel might not be happy, numbers don’t lie. Per SofaScore, England had more big chances, more total shots, more passes, more possession and more shots on target than Norway, who had a disallowed goal in the game.
Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, speaks to players
Needless to say, Norway had a great tournament. For Tuchel to expect to just steamroll them is kind of unrealistic. However, the fact remains: while England made it to the final four, where they already await rival for the semifinals, they haven’t been as smooth as some would’ve hoped.
England also had some VAR decisions against them
Harry Kane scored a goal but VAR reversed it due to an offside. While it was a good call by VAR, it was a great play by England. Then, they got a penalty also called back by VAR after a Djed Spence play. If England had a bit more luck, this would’ve been a very solid performance all around.
