'He thought he was being attacked!' - Jude Bellingham defended over reaction to Thomas Tuchel comments after England win as Joe Hart weighs in

Hart has taken aim at the line of questioning directed towards Bellingham following England's dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. The victory, which secured a semi-final spot against Argentina, was momentarily overshadowed by Bellingham's dismissive reaction to comments made by Tuchel regarding the team's performance level in Miami.

Speaking on BBC One, Hart expressed his frustration with how the post-match interview was handled. “If you were to go off what was being asked to Jude Bellingham, which was a bit naughty in my opinion, because it was only the negative of what Thomas said,” Hart explained. “Of course, he's going to react like that, because he felt like he was being attacked having done something special, and then everyone talks about it.”

The tension began when Tuchel admitted he was "not happy with the performance" despite the result, leading to a blunt response from his star man. Informed of the German’s critical assessment, an exhausted Bellingham told ITV: “Yeah, well, whatever,” before launching into a defence of his team-mates’ efforts during a gruelling encounter in the Florida heat.

The Real Madrid superstar, who scored both goals in the match and has been essential to the Three Lions' progress, dismissed external criticism by saying: "Yeah well, whatever. It's a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who've put a tough shift out there." 

Bellingham suggested that Tuchel might not fully grasp the physical toll of the match, stating: "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in these types of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth, you know. That's not an easy team to play against." Despite the noise, he argued that internal squad morale remains high and that the group is focused on winning "dirty" when necessary.

Despite the public exchange, Tuchel has moved quickly to ensure the narrative does not destabilise England’s World Cup bid. The manager clarified that his criticisms were born out of high standards rather than a lack of respect for his players. He insisted that the situation had been "blown up" by the media and that his relationship with the squad remains strong.

“The head of mine is not fully satisfied and not 100 per cent happy with the way we played, and I stand by it,” Tuchel told reporters. “I think we can play faster, more clinical. We had too many unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game that cost us a lot of belief. A lot of things we can do better, which is not a problem, but no disconnect from me to my team, not one per cent. I am full with my heart and fully in love with my players and my team and the way they perform.”

Hart believes that once the cameras are off, the tension between the player and manager disappears. “When you go back behind the closed doors, and Jude Bellingham realises what he [Tuchel] said on a whole, they're having a laugh about it, I'm sure they are. Because I think Tuchel would expect him to react like that if that's all he said. I'm not telling anyone how to do their job, and everyone's within their right to ask the question. I'm telling you as a player, if I'm emotional, I'm off the back of getting to a semi-final - which I haven't done by the way - I would react like that,” Hart added.

England now face a historic semi-final against Argentina as they look to reach their first World Cup final since 1966. With Bellingham currently chasing the Golden Boot and key players recovering from the physical demands of the quarter-final, Tuchel will be desperate for his side to find the "clinical edge" he felt was missing in their previous outing.