"World-class performance from a world-class player..." Tuchel Praises Jude Bellingham's Scintillating Performance Vs Norway

England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his players' resilience and winning mentality after their dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway secured a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals but admitted his side must produce a higher standard of football if they are to lift the trophy.

Jude Bellingham struck twice to inspire another stirring England comeback, rescuing the Three Lions after they had fallen behind before eventually overcoming a determined Norway side in a gruelling 120-minute contest.

While delighted to guide England into the last four, Tuchel made it clear that emotion would not cloud his assessment of the performance.

"Absolutely no one disputes the shift the players put in," Tuchel said in the post-match press conference. "I'm impressed with the effort, the team spirit, the belief and the way they overcame adversity to find a way to win. That is on the absolutely highest level."

"They cannot get enough praise for that. But I'm also a football coach, and I think we can play better."

The German insisted England's determination deserved enormous credit, even if the football itself fell short of his expectations.

"In general, I don't think it was a high-level game. We've had better performances. There were a lot of momentum swings for both teams. Full credit to the players because we found a way and we're into the last four, which is the most important thing."

"But the analysing head in me still thinks we can and have to play better football."

Tuchel reserved special praise for Bellingham after the midfielder once again produced when England needed him most.

"World-class performance from a world-class player in big, big moments and crucial moments," Tuchel said. "Absolute top class."

England have now come from behind to win two consecutive knockout ties, something Tuchel believes says everything about the mentality developing within his squad.

"They just refuse to give in," he said. "They refuse to accept defeat. They overcome setbacks."

"I agree with Jude. They put in a huge shift. There isn't one percent complaint about their effort. But today we made life complicated for ourselves."

Tuchel explained that his attacking reshuffle at half-time had already been planned before Bellingham equalised and was designed to pin Norway deeper inside their own half.

"We made the decision at half-time to become more offensive," he revealed. "Even after we equalised, I didn't want to go back on that decision because I felt it was the right signal."

"I wanted us to occupy higher positions, have more connections around their penalty area and keep Norway under pressure."

The England coach also confirmed Declan Rice had been battling illness throughout the week.

"Declan spent most of the last three days in bed," Tuchel said. "I knew he couldn't survive 90 minutes, and with the possibility of 120 minutes I didn't want to waste another substitution later in the match."

Ezri Konsa, meanwhile, was forced through severe cramp in the demanding Miami conditions before eventually being withdrawn.

Despite progressing, Tuchel acknowledged that tournament football often hinges on key moments going your way.

"I think we got lucky in decisive moments," he admitted.

"I'm not saying we were lucky to win overall, but we were lucky in decisive moments. We were fortunate not to go 2-0 down after a mistake in our build-up."

"We were also fortunate with the overturned goal. Sometimes you need those moments in tournament football. I see no harm in admitting it."

Responding to Norwegian suggestions that the build-up to England's equaliser may have involved contact with the stadium's spidercam, Tuchel said technology should provide a definitive answer.

"There's a chip inside the ball that can detect almost anything. They should be able to tell you if it happened. I didn't see it."

Tuchel singled out England's central defenders for their handling of Erling Haaland, who was substituted late in the contest after a physically demanding evening.

"Our central defenders were outstanding," he said. "They produced a very physical performance against Erling. Even when the ball wasn't arriving, they stayed brave, stayed aggressive and worked on him non-stop."

Asked about England's attacking formula, Tuchel smiled.

"It's pretty simple," he joked. "I put Harry and Jude together and they do the rest."

"We still need to improve our attacking structure so we bring more players into dangerous positions, but these two love responsibility. They produce in decisive moments. They're top players and they've had outstanding tournaments."

Tuchel also praised Morgan Rogers after deploying the Aston Villa midfielder in an unfamiliar midfield role late in the game.

"From all our substitutes, Morgan especially made a big, big step forward today," he said. "Playing in a new position, his performance was absolutely top."

Although England celebrated reaching their first World Cup semi-final since 2018, Tuchel knows there is little time to savour the moment.

"These celebrations belong to the players and all the backroom staff," he said. "I'm incredibly proud of them and especially impressed by the winning mentality they've shown throughout this tournament."

"We'll enjoy one evening, then we'll travel back as quickly as possible because we have only three days to prepare."

Despite another exhausting knockout battle, Tuchel has no doubts his players will be ready again.

"They have to be," he said when asked whether the squad had enough left for two more matches.

"Now it's all about recovery. The next three days are crucial, but this victory gives us enormous energy. We have excellent recovery facilities and we'll be ready."