London police forced to arrest England fans after wild World Cup celebrations

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Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Seven England fans were arrested in London on Saturday night following their behaviour after the Three Lions’ 2-1 victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Andreas Schjelderup had opened the scoring for Norway in the 36th minute, but Jude Bellingham netted an equaliser in first-half stoppage time, before he added his second in extra-time to fire Thomas Tuchel’s side into just their fourth ever World Cup semi-final.

England will face reigning champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday as they look to book their place in the World Cup final for the first time since their triumph back in 1966, while Spain and France will contest the other semi-final on Tuesday.

It has been widely reported that England fans in North America have behaved in an exemplary manner throughout the tournament, although the same has not been the case on home soil.

There was an increase in “alcohol-related assaults” during the group stages, and the Metropolitan Police have confirmed that seven England fans were arrested around Piccadilly Circus following wild celebrations after the quarter-final win over Norway.

As per Metro and The Evening Standard, one person was arrested for criminal damage, two people for assaulting police officers, two people for being drunk and disorderly, and two people for other public order offences.

It comes after a police officer was knocked unconscious in London following France’s win over Morocco on Thursday as fans clashed with law enforcement on Edgware Road. It’s understood that fireworks were launched and objects were thrown at policemen, with four people arrested.

Thomas Tuchel not happy with England performance

Despite his side’s win, Tuchel wasn’t impressed by England’s performance on Saturday and he expressed his displeasure during his post-match interview with ITV Sport.

“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," he said. "The result is fantastic, we're in the last four. It's amazing. I'm not happy with the performance.

“In every sense. The commitment is there but we made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played. Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough.

“We will get better, we need to get better. Now it's celebrations. Now it's taking it all in. We need everything to make a better performance.”

When asked about Tuchel’s comments, match-winner Bellingham replied: “It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there.

“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.

“So, I think we've tried to create a positive environment. 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 and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we've done that again tonight.”