Thomas Tuchel did not join in the dancing. While England supporters celebrated in the stands of Miami Stadium and Jude Bellingham embraced his team-mates after a dramatic extra-time victory over Norway, the England head coach was already making his feelings clear.

England are in a World Cup semi-final — their first since reaching the stage in Russia in 2018 and only the fourth time in their history — but Tuchel was in no mood to dwell on the achievement. "We got lucky," he said bluntly after a quarter-final that required two Bellingham goals, a disallowed Norway effort, a missed chance to make it 2-0 and a shot that clipped the crossbar before England finally sealed the win in the 93rd minute.

"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves," Tuchel continued. "The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It's amazing but I am not happy with the performance — in every sense. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough."

His one concession? That England's character had carried them through. "This is pure mentality," he said.

Bellingham bites back

Bellingham, who has now scored six goals in this tournament — averaging one per game — was not entirely ready to accept the critique. Asked about his manager's post-match comments, the midfielder was diplomatic but pointed. "Yeah well, whatever. It's difficult out there, it's a tough shift. All the players have put in a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there who put in a great shift."

He went further when pressed on the conditions in Florida. "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth. They're not an easy team to play against. You can't win every game popping the ball and making 1,000 passes — sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that today."

It is a fair point. Norway were the better side for long stretches, and for a side containing several of Europe's finest club players, the heat and humidity of Miami added a physical toll that is difficult to quantify from the dugout.

Former England players back Tuchel's honesty

Yet several former England internationals sided with the head coach. Alan Shearer praised Tuchel's refusal to let the result paper over the cracks. "Over the years, we might have had someone come out and say that we stuck together and we were brilliant," Shearer told the BBC. "You have to give him credit for doing it — he was having none of that."

Wayne Rooney, England's record goalscorer with 53 goals in 120 appearances, agreed the manager was "spot on in terms of the mentality" and highlighted the character shown as Ezri Konsa went off injured and Declan Rice, who had been a doubt before the game, was withdrawn at half-time.

Former England defender Matt Upson was equally candid: "It felt that with 25 minutes left before the end of the 90, Norway were going to win this game."

Can mentality alone take England to the final?

England's tournament has rarely been smooth. After an encouraging 4-2 win over Croatia, they were held by Ghana and needed a fortunate passage past DR Congo before surviving a 3-2 thriller against Mexico with ten men. The Norway game continued the theme — dramatic, nervy, reliant on individual moments of brilliance rather than collective authority.

Tuchel insists he is emotionally invested. "With my heart, I am fully in love with my players and my team," he said, "but we can play better — there are a lot of things to do better."

The question now is whether he can drag those improvements out of his squad in time for a semi-final against Argentina. The market will have a clear view on England's chances. What is less clear is whether Tuchel's blunt-instrument approach can produce the kind of performance the biggest game of this tournament demands.

Bellingham has bailed England out before. He may need to do it again.

Frequently asked

Who scored for England against Norway in the World Cup quarter-final?
Jude Bellingham scored both England goals, netting in the 47th and 93rd minutes to send England through to the semi-finals in extra time.
Who does England play in the World Cup semi-final?
According to reports, England will face Argentina in the semi-final after beating Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami.
Why was Thomas Tuchel unhappy despite England winning?
Tuchel said England were sloppy, made too many technical mistakes and admitted the team "got lucky" after Norway hit the bar, had a goal disallowed and missed a chance to make it 2-0.