Jude Bellingham has credited his mother with helping him avoid a yellow card that would have resulted in a suspension for England's World Cup semi-final match.
Bellingham scored both goals in England's 2-1 victory over Norway, securing their place in the semi-finals where they will face Argentina. He had been one booking away from suspension after receiving a yellow card earlier in the tournament against DR Congo.
"My mum's been telling me all week to watch my language, watch my tackles, watch my face, watch with my emotions," Bellingham told reporters after the match. "I think she drilled it into me all week about being careful of that yellow card."
England faced a tough challenge against Norway, whose team included Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. Norway took the lead in the 36th minute, but Bellingham equalized shortly after. He scored the winning goal in extra time after a rebound from a shot by Morgan Rogers.
Following the match, England manager Thomas Tuchel described his players as "lucky," a statement that seemed to surprise Bellingham. When asked about Tuchel's comments, Bellingham suggested the manager might not understand the pressures of playing in such high-stakes matches under intense conditions.
"Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, (Martin) Odegaard, (Antonio) Nusa, (Alexander) Sorloth. That's not an easy team to play against," Bellingham said. "You're not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes, sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that again tonight."
England played in extreme heat in Florida, with temperatures feeling over 40 degrees Celsius. Bellingham also noted the difficulty of the match, emphasizing the effort put in by his teammates.
Tuchel, however, dismissed any notion of a disconnect with his team, stating, "There is no disconnect from me to my team, no, not one per cent. I'm full with my heart and I’m fully in love all of my players and my team and the way they perform."
England enters the semi-final with few injury concerns. Jordan Henderson was on the bench despite a broken arm, and Declan Rice was substituted at halftime against Norway due to illness.