England had to be patient but eventually eased to a 2-0 victory to begin the German manager's tenure and their World Cup qualifying campaign
Is it too early to say football's coming home? Definitely, yes. Nevertheless, Thomas Tuchel's quest for 2026 World Cup glory got off to a winning start as England secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Albania at Wembley on Friday night to open their qualifying campaign, with teenage debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly on the scoresheet.
It took the Arsenal youngster just 20 minutes to score his first-ever England goal - becoming the Three Lions' youngest-ever debut scorer in the process. The 18-year-old left-back ran onto a fine Jude Bellingham through ball and coolly rolled the ball between the onrushing goalkeeper's legs.
Tuchel's men could, and perhaps should, have doubled their lead before the break, but Harry Kane's effort was miraculously blocked as he followed up a point-blank save from a Bellingham attempt, and another debutant, Dan Burn, crashed a header against the crossbar.
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The second period was a little more ragged, but Kane calmed any England nerves with 13 minutes to play as he expertly controlled a lofted pass and swept the ball into the bottom corner.
GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium...