Thomas Tuchel responds to Jude Bellingham's fiery reaction in England's Albania win

England manager Thomas Tuchel has responded to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham‘s reaction after he was substituted during their 2-0 victory against Albania in the final 2026 World Cup qualifier.

Bellingham was seen displaying a frustrating figure after the substitution board displayed Morgan Rogers’ number for him to come on as his replacement.

Three Lions captain, Harry Kane, bagged a second-half brace to secure a 2-0 victory in Tirana that saw the Euro 2024 runners-up complete a faultless Group K clean sweep with an eighth win and eighth clean sheet, while recording 24 goals in the process.

Tuchel made wholesome changes to the squad that faced Serbia on Thursday, with Bellingham coming in as one of the seven changes.

The 22-year-old enjoyed his first start for England since June, but was substituted six minutes into the end of the full 90 minutes, capped in a game where he was also named player of the match as voted for by England fans.

Bellingham created the most chances (2), had the most touches in the opposition box(4), most passes in the final third (26), most dribbles attempted (3), most duels won (3), and was only second in the number of shots (2).

England manager Thomas Tuchel speaking to the media after his side’s 2-0 victory against Albania in the 2026 World Cup qualifier

The England attacker was seen with his arms in the air as a sign of frustration just after Kane headed the second goal in, having seen Rogers waiting to replace him on the touchline.

When asked about Bellingham’s reaction to the substitution, Tuchel said: “That is a decision, and he has to accept the decision.

“His friend is waiting on the sidelines. Accept it, respect it and keep on going.”

When asked if Bellingham’s reaction goes against the attitude he is trying to instil in his squad ahead of the World Cup next summer, he added: “I didn’t see it that way.

“I will need to review it and I saw he was not happy. I do not want to make it bigger at the moment than it is. Players like Jude are so competitive, they will never like it.

“My word stands; it is about standards and a level It is a commitment and respect to each other. We will not change our decision because someone waves their arms.”