A German coach for the England national team? Quite a few fans on the island had their doubts about Thomas Tuchel. After the early World Cup ticket, these have been dispelled for the time being.
15.10.2025, 08:00
dpa
Thomas Tuchel thanked England's fans in Riga with applause. Not really an unusual gesture after the Three Lions' early qualification for the World Cup, but one that should earn the 52-year-old even more sympathy points after he had recently complained about a lack of support.
After initial doubts about the German coach, Tuchel silenced the last critics, at least for the time being, with the 5-0 win in Latvia. "Great, great," said a delighted Tuchel. "Such a good atmosphere in the dressing room. It feels very different because it was our dream to go to the World Cup - and we did it." Next summer's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico can come for the European runners-up.
Perfect qualification so far
The fact that England can no longer be displaced from first place in Group K early on once again has a lot to do with Bayern striker Harry Kane. The captain laid the foundations in Riga with a brace (44th minute/45th/4th/foul penalty), with Anthony Gordon (26th), an own goal from Andrejs Ciganiks (59th) and Eberechi Eze (86th) providing the other goals.
It was the fourth win in a row for Tuchel and his team. Kane called it a "great achievement" that England have already secured their World Cup ticket with two games remaining and an 18-0 scoreline.
Kane sees himself in top form
Afterwards, Tuchel was asked whether Kane was one of the best strikers he had ever trained. "He's right at the top of the list," said the coach, who then went on to list the reasons for the success. "We dominate the games, we are hungry. We win a lot of balls in the opponent's half. We're on the right track."
Kane hopes that England can keep up the momentum for even longer. The 32-year-old also sees himself in top form at the moment. "The numbers are there, but the way I feel on the pitch and the way I see the passes and the runs - I'm in a good phase. Hopefully I can keep it up," said Kane.
