England followed up their 2-0 win over Albania with a 3-0 victory over Latvia at Wembley on Monday night, as new boss Thomas Tuchel made it back-to-back wins in his first two matches
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Jude Bellingham was substituted during the win over Latvia
Jude Bellingham was substituted during the win over Latvia
(Image: Getty Images)
Thomas Tuchel continued his perfect start as England manager but admitted he felt compelled to substitute Jude Bellingham because he feared the Real Madrid star would be sent off.
Goals from Reece James, Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze gave the Three Lions a 3-0 over Latvia at Wembley but Bellingham was lucky to avoid a second yellow card when his team was only a goal ahead. And Tuchel said: “The first one (yellow) was a bit harsh. The second one was possible. We would have felt it was a bit harsh but it would have put the game upside down. Straight away, we decided to take him out.
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“In general, you could see the huge effort that Jude put in in the first game. You could see he did not feel so fresh.
"That is my observation, I’m not sure he would agree. I didn’t want to take the risk and took him off.”
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Bellingham had been booked late in the first half but escaped punishment for a rash challenge on Raivis Jurkovskis shortly before the hour mark. Ten minutes later, he was replaced by Phil Foden.
After Bellingham left the field, England made victory secure with the Kane and Eze goals after a spectacular free-kick from James - making his first appearance in over two years - had given them a lead late in the first half.
And Tuchel was delighted with James’s contribution, saying: “I know Reecey and the quality the boy has is amazing. He has every right to be proud and happy with his performance. He is in excellent shape. He looks sharp, in shape and the quality there can be no doubt.”
And the Chelsea defender was happy to be back after a long absence, saying: “It has been a long time, I have had a frustrating two and a half years. I'm so happy to be called up again. Thomas's ideas are clear. We have one objective and that starts this week right up until the World Cup."
Reece James goal
Reece James scored a stunning free-kick(Image: PA)
England's Reece James (centre) celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game
England beat Latvia at Wembley(Image: PA)
Skipper Kane is certainly happy with the impact Tuchel has made, adding: “Thomas is fantastic. He has settled in straight away. He is a pleasure to work for - he has brought the passion.”
And after England scored five and conceded none in his first two games, Tuchel promised there is a lot more to come.
He declared: “I'm happy with the attitude, energy and desire. We will get stronger from camp to camp. We will get better.”
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