England have reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup – and there is a lot of love for Manchester City star Nico O’Reilly.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have made the last four for only the fourth time ever, and will face Argentina on Wednesday for a chance to play either France or Spain in the final.
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England rode their luck against Norway, with Tuchel himself alluding to that in his post-match interview.
But momentum is gathering now, and England fans are starting to believe.
Last night’s performance against Norway wasn’t particularly great, although Elliot Anderson was praised by national media outlets.
But Nico O’Reilly also had a good game – and the comments left on his new Instagram post really tell their own story.
Man City star Nico O’Reilly praised by Jude Bellingham and David Beckham
It has been a truly whirlwind past couple of years or so for O’Reilly.
After being promoted to City’s first-team squad by Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2024, O’Reilly has just gone from strength to strength.
He pretty much became a regular last season for City, catching the eye playing at left-back while also regularly crashing the box to score goals.
Now he’s starring for his country – and last night he came in for particular praise on social media for his showing against Norway.
O’Reilly uploaded a few snaps from the game on Instagram, featuring the caption.
A number of his teammates replied, as did Sir David Beckham, who watched on from the stands:
- Jude Bellingham – ‘different gravy🔥’
- Marcus Rashford – ‘Running out of words bro! What a player 🔥’
- Elliot Anderson – ‘So good’
- Sir David Beckham – ‘What a player 🩵 @nico33 @england 🏴’
O’Reilly vs Norway by numbers
O’Reilly played just shy of 90 minutes against Norway, and was his typical today self on the ball.
As per Sofascore data, he completed 37/39 (95%) and had 52 touches.
He won 3/5 duels, and lost possession just eight times – seven England players lost the ball more times than him.
It was by no means a scintillating display from O’Reilly, but without doubt he was one of the better performers for England against Norway, and the comments speak volumes about his contributions.
