Tuchel reflects on England’s dramatic 10-man win over Mexico at Azteca
Thomas Tuchel has reflected on the emotional force of England’s 3-2 knockout win over Mexico in Mexico City, describing an occasion so intense that he wished he had taken a piece of it with him.
England completed the victory with 10 men against one of the tournament’s co-hosts, and the scale of the result stayed with Tuchel long after the final whistle. In a message sent to a friend shortly afterwards, the England manager said he regretted not eating grass from the pitch “to keep something from this in my body forever”.
The match also produced a striking moment of togetherness when Jordan Henderson broke his arm after falling over an advertising board during the celebrations. Tuchel said the response of the squad immediately showed the strength of the group, with every player halting the celebrations to form a protective barrier around the midfielder.
“This game had so much of what you could wish for,” Tuchel said. “If you needed any proof of what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm. Within a second, the players were there.
“Every single player was there, stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan, not going anywhere, with full empathy. It was so special.”
Tuchel sees platform for Euro 2028
The Mexico result was part of a 10-match campaign in the United States in which England won eight times, drew once and suffered one defeat, which Tuchel called a painful one. He believes the experiences of that run, both successful and difficult, have helped establish a closer relationship between the manager and his players ahead of the next international cycle.
“It created a huge bond with these players,” he said. “It feels like they are my players now. That is the beauty of it. You have success and painful moments together, but you spend so much time together and create a natural bond.
“I’m happy to see them, happy to challenge them and happy to push them. I’m very proud to be part of that.”
Tuchel believes England have moved another step towards being ready to challenge at Euro 2028. While he acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for a World Cup staged in the United States, he sees the top tier of the Nations League as a valuable route towards the European Championship.
England’s next objective is a further 10-match sequence, beginning with four Nations League fixtures. The first comes later this month at home to world champions Spain, followed by an away trip to Croatia and home and away meetings with Czechia.
Tuchel will name his latest England squad on Friday, with the Nations League programme becoming the immediate focus after a campaign he believes has given the group reason to approach its next tests with confidence and courage.
