Atlanta, July 14 (IANS) England winger Noni Madueke believes the Three Lions have become a team that opponents fear at the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting other nations are more concerned about facing Thomas Tuchel’s side than England are about their rivals.

England booked their place in the semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, where Jude Bellingham struck twice to complete the comeback and set up a blockbuster clash against Argentina.

According to Madueke, England’s attacking quality gives them the edge against any opposition. “Very confident,” he said when asked about facing Argentina. “Like B (Bukayo Saka) said, we have match-winners and going through the tournament we haven’t really focused on the opposition in a sense where we’re worried about them. I feel like other teams will be more worried about us,” he said in a video released by England football.

Madueke also highlighted the growing camaraderie within the England camp after spending more than a month together during the tournament.

“If you spend six weeks with people… you wouldn’t normally do that throughout the season. For the rest of your team-mates who you don’t see that often, I feel naturally you get closer, and you’ve all got a common goal as well, so that helps. It’s been a good experience, coming into the last week now. It’s all about finishing strong,” he said.

England have reached the semi-finals after edging DR Congo 2-1, defeating Mexico 3-2 in an entertaining quarter-final, and overcoming Norway after extra time. Bellingham and captain Harry Kane have combined for five goals during the knockout stages, underlining England’s attacking strength.

Saka echoed Madueke’s confidence, saying England possess enough game-changing players to produce decisive moments in tight contests.

“A lot of times it comes down to moments. We’ve got a lot of players who can produce those moments so you’ve just got to stay focused, keep the ball out of your net and then you just know that one of us in the front line is going to produce a moment of magic and win the game for the team,” Saka said.

Substitute Eberechi Eze, who came on at half-time against Norway, described reaching the World Cup semi-finals as a dream and urged the squad to savour the occasion while remaining focused on the bigger prize.

“It’s obviously a massive moment for us, for the team to see what we’re doing for people back home, it’s special. We’re trying to enjoy it as much as we can. Of course there are things we can improve on, things we can do better, but ultimately we won, and that’s the main thing,” he said.

“I’m trying to focus and enjoy that as much as we can because to be in the semi-final, closer to winning the World Cup, is a dream for all of us,” he added.

England will face Argentina in the semi-final on Thursday, with the winners advancing to the World Cup final against either Spain or France.

–IANS

sds/bc