Pundit Mike Grella has slammed England’s performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He acknowledged that they have reached the semi-finals, but criticized their performance in the 2-1 (aet) win over Norway in the quarter-finals.
The Three Lions are just two games away from winning the FIFA World Cup trophy for the first time since 1966. However, their performance in their win over Norway in the quarter-finals was underwhelming. They were completely outplayed in the second half and were helped by their opponents’ wastefulness.
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In the end, Jude Bellingham’s brace helped them make a comeback after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead. Pundit Mike Grella slammed England‘s performance on CBS Sports and said (h/t Metro):
“The good news is you have two games left, semi-final and final, and you can actually win a World Cup for the first time since 1966. The bad news is you’re not very good at football. It’s like having the world’s ugliest daughter and saying, ‘You’re beautiful, baby’.”
“You’re not good with the ball, you’re not good at transitions, you leave unbelievable spaces in between the lines. By English standards, it was a really poor performance. The impressive part is how poor you are and you’re able to get away with the win,” he added.
The Three Lions will now face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, July 15, in Atlanta.
Thomas Tuchel also criticized England’s performance in FIFA World Cup clash against Norway
After extra time, England had 53% possession against Norway. They had made 14 attempts, with eight being on target, as compared to their opponents’ 5/13 attempts on target. It wasn’t their best performance, but they got over the line, thanks to a brace by Jude Bellingham.
However, after their FIFA World Cup quarter-final, the Three Lions’ head coach, Thomas Tuchel, also criticized his side’s performance. He said that they “made life very difficult for” themselves, adding that he was “not happy with the performance.” They German even claimed that they were “lucky”.
Tuchel did, however, praise England’s “effort, spirit, and belief.” He added:
“To overcome adversity and to dig in and to find ways to win 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 Three Lions have been unbeaten in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, with one draw and five wins. Argentina, meanwhile, have six wins, but have gone to extra time twice.
Edited by Aditya Singh