Tuchel delighted for England players after securing World Cup qualification
England head coach Thomas Tuchel admits it was “beautiful” to see his players celebrate qualifying for next summer's World Cup.
The Three Lions cruised to a 5-0 victory in Latvia, maintaining their excellent qualifying record and barely breaking a sweat on a rainy evening in Eastern Europe.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for the visitors, before a Harry Kane double, an own goal and Eberechi Eze's strike sealed the deal.
Tuchel shared a moment with his full-time staff, before congratulating his players on the pitch.
Speaking after the match, he said: “It's never easy, even if it seems easy. We worked a lot. They played with a lot of short passes and we expected more long balls, but the reaction was good.
“Another great team performance. It’s a special moment – it rarely happens that we qualify for a World Cup.
“The atmosphere is very good and it’s all smiles and music. It’s a moment to savor.
“It means a lot and it's different. You can't create it artificially. It's beautiful to see what it means for the players. The way we won, first of all, gives us a lot of satisfaction.
“Six wins and six clean sheets. Here we are. It’s a special evening. You can feel it in the staff and the players.”
Kane wants to build something special
It was another successful night for Kane, who added two more goals to his impressive season tally.
He will lead his country at another major tournament next summer and wants to continue building a special camp as England prepare for the tournament.
Having missed the match by a razor-thin margin in recent years, the Bayern Munich talisman is keen to right some wrongs next summer.
He said: “It was a great game from us. I've spoken before about the need to build momentum. Another great camp – we can be proud to qualify with two games to go – it's never as easy as it seems. Another tournament to look forward to.
“After the Serbia game, I spoke to the group about the need to build the momentum we feel together. It's important to keep the momentum going. There are two more big games left in this November camp.
“Every moment counts – it’s about building something special. We’ve done that over the last few camps.
“I think next summer in America will be special, and we will feel it. Never take these moments for granted.
“Sometimes it feels like you're taking a high risk. Sometimes if you do it early and get the ball early, you have the most possession.
“We want to be an aggressive team, and we're going to face tougher tests and better teams, so it's all great training when that happens.”
2025-10-14 22:01:00
