Jude Bellingham bites back at Thomas Tuchel as England delay fears eased for Argentina World Cup semi-final

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has bitten back at comments made by head coach Thomas Tuchel following the Three Lions' dramatic 2-1 World Cup 2026 quarter-final win over Norway.

The Real Madrid lynchpin was England's saviour once again in Miami, bagging a brace to cancel out Andreas Schjelderup's freak opener to send the Three Lions through to the semi-finals.

England cut lethargic figures for the majority of the first half before Bellingham's strike and also failed to make major inroads in the second, while surviving a few scares of their own as they were taken to extra time.

However, after Orjan Nyland spilled Morgan Rogers's long-range shot into Bellingham's path, the 23-year-old reacted quickest to complete the England comeback in sweltering conditions.

Players experienced what felt like 40+ degree conditions due to the heat and humidity, but Tuchel nevertheless let rip at full time, criticising England's sloppy display and bemoaning a lack of technical quality.

Jude Bellingham bites back at Thomas Tuchel over England comments

Tuchel's comments did not go down particularly well with Bellingham, who wondered if his manager had ever tried to contain such talented opposition when battling unforgiving temperatures.

Asked if Tuchel's comments showed the standards he expects from the team, Bellingham told BBC Sport: "Maybe, or maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those kind of conditions.

"Against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth, that's not an easy team to play against. I think we've tried to create a positive environment and we should continue that going into the final four.

"I can't speak highly enough of the lads. You're not going to win every game popping the ball around and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty and we've done that again tonight."

England's semi-final opponents will be reigning champions Argentina, after the Albiceleste beat Switzerland 3-1 in another quarter-final contest that went the distance.

How hot will it be for England vs. Argentina?

The scorching Florida heat - as well as the threat of lightning strikes - led to momentary pre-game concerns that Norway vs. England could be delayed or postponed due to fears over player safety.

The game thankfully went ahead without a hitch, although the impact of the conditions was evident on the players, as both teams were happy to conserve their energy during a low-key first 30 minutes.

England's semi-final with Argentina will take place in Atlanta on Wednesday evening at 8pm UK time - 3pm local time - when temperatures are expected to peak at around 30 degrees Celsius.

At the same time, thunderstorms are forecast for the Atlanta area, but as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is equipped with a roof, there should be no threat of a delay to kickoff.