Jude Bellingham’s extra‑time winner against Norway carried England into a World Cup semi‑final against Argentina – but captain Harry Kane admits his side have only shown their best “in glimpses” and must improve if they are to reach the final for the first time since 1966.
The Three Lions needed a second Bellingham goal to edge past Norway 2-1 in Miami on Saturday, after Andreas Schjelderup’s cross‑cum‑shot had given the Scandinavian side a first‑half lead. Bellingham equalised before the break and then pounced on a spilled shot by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Håskjold Nyland early in extra time, moving on to six goals for the tournament – level with Kane and in contention for the Golden Boot.
“England reach World Cup semi-final after Bellingham's extra-time winner; Kane says team has 'another level' to reach.”
After the quarter‑final, England manager Thomas Tuchel was scathing about his team’s display, saying they “got lucky”, were “sloppy”, made “a lot of technical mistakes” and were “not fast enough, not repetitive enough”. Kane, 32, defended his manager’s frustration, arguing that Tuchel simply wants to see the version of England he watches in training. “When he sees us train and sees the closeness of us and sees what we can do, especially with the players we have … he just wants to see that version of us,” Kane said. “He knows as much as anyone that it’s not as simple as that, we’re playing against good opposition and good teams.”
But Kane was frank about the shortcomings on the pitch. “We haven’t seen that [best] yet, we’ve shown it in glimpses,” he admitted. “Against Norway it was in glimpses. We haven’t had full control that we would like and I feel we can have.” He added: “We know we can improve and we know we can play better. But ultimately we are in a semi‑final of the World Cup and that has not always been the case for this national team, so we have to enjoy it.”
Bellingham offered a different perspective, suggesting Tuchel may not fully appreciate the difficulty of facing Norway’s quality players. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth,” he said. “All the players have put in a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there.”
England nullified the threat of Haaland, who was withdrawn after the first period of extra time. The result sets up a Wednesday semi‑final in Atlanta against old rivals Argentina, who have Lionel Messi in their ranks. The match will be played in an air‑conditioned stadium with a roof, offering relief from the searing heat that affected both sides in Miami.
The winner will face either France or Spain in the final in New Jersey next Sunday. For England, the question remains whether they can find the cohesion to match their undoubted individual talent. As Kane put it: “We’ll be playing against one of the best teams in the world in the semi‑final, so the most pleasing thing is we are in a semi‑final and still feel we can improve.”