Thomas Tuchel unimpressed as new England era begins with with over Albania - reaction
England 2-0 Albania: Lewis-Skelly made history as the youngest player to score on his debut as the 18-year-old scored the first goal of the Tuchel era
Thomas Tuchel said England “have to do better” after overseeing a 2-0 win over Albania in his first game in charge, with Myles Lewis-Skelly scoring on his debut and Harry Kane grabbing his 70th international goal at Wembley
Lewis-Skelly, one of two England debutants along with Dan Burn on Tuchel’s first game in charge, scored the first goal of the German’s new era as the 18-year-old converted Jude Bellingham’s through ball in a fairytale moment.
But the second half of England’s opening World Cup qualifying fixture was not overly convincing, with Albania carrying some threat. Captain Kane made sure of the three points as he steered in a composed finish in the 77th minute.
There is work for Tuchel to do but England made a winning start on their road to the 2026 World Cup and they will return to Wembley on Monday for another qualifier against Latvia. "We can do better, we have to do better,” Tuchel said.
Follow all the reaction from Tuchel’s first game in charge at Wembley below
England 1-0 Albania
38 mins: Foden and Rashford gave probably been the quietest in terms of time on the ball for England so far. Rice, Bellingham and Jones are seeing plenty of it.
England 1-0 Albania
34 mins: Albania have been able to spring forward a couple of times in the last five minutes or so. Pickford is required to come off his line and sweep up.
England 1-0 Albania
30 mins: A fairytale opener may settle England down, but Albania have responded well. Rice is required to sweep up in defence. The game hasn’t quite returned to the same pattern as before Lewis-Skelly’s goal.
England 1-0 Albania
27 mins: A first sign of danger at the other end. Burn is required to make a block, with the ball looping up awkwardly and landing on top of the bar. It almost caught Pickford out but Burn has to head clear.
England 1-0 Albania
23 mins: Take-off for Tuchel, and especially Myles Lewis-Skelly. A great moment, a lovely goal, and a divine pass. The teenage debutant was rewarded for the bravery of his run, by an utterly brilliant through ball from Bellingham. It has significantly elevated what had been an encouraging if not electric opening 20 minutes of Tuchel's time in charge.
England 1-0 Albania
22 mins: He only made his Arsenal debut in September. Now Myles Lewis-Skelly is an England goalscorer!
Beautiful.
GOAL! England 1-0 Albania (LEWIS-SKELLY 20')
IT’S A DREAM GOAL FOR THE TEENAGE DEBUTANT! AMAZING!
What a moment for Myles Lewis-Skelly! It’s a brilliant ball through from Bellingham to find the left back’s run, and the Arsenal star finds the finish through the goalkeeper’s legs! He’s clearly emotional as he is mobbed by his team-mates in the corner!
Tuchel punches his fist!
England 0-0 Albania
16 mins: Almost a chance for England! Kane bounces through the challenges and breaks into the box, keeping the ball close. But Albania’s goalkeeper Strakosha comes off his line and claims before Kane can try and finish.
England 0-0 Albania
14 mins: After all that, it's ultimately just a dull World Cup qualifier.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
1Comments