New England head coach Thomas Tuchel got his reign under way with a scrappy win over Albania in a World Cup 2026 qualifier at Wembley.
Tuchel promised to bring back excitement after succeeding Gareth Southgate – but it was in short supply as the Three Lions struggled for fluency against the ultra-cautious visitors on Friday.
One player to impress was Arsenal’s gifted teenage full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, who marked a dream debut by scoring the first goal of the German coach’s era – sliding home a composed finish from Jude Bellingham’s perfect pass after 20 minutes.
It made Lewis-Skelly the youngest player to score on his senior England bow – aged 18 years and 176 days – beating Marcus Rashford’s previous record, set against Australia in May 2016, by 33 days.
Tuchel also gave a first cap to Newcastle defender Dan Burn, 32, and the goal hero from Sunday’s Carabao Cup final win against Liverpool was almost on target again at Wembley as he headed against the bar in the first half.
Albania posed more of a threat after the break, with Ezri Konsa doing superbly to deny Jasir Asani who was racing in towards keeper Jordan Pickford.
But England responded instantly and put the game to bed in the 77th minute, with captain Harry Kane scoring his 70th goal in 104 international appearances from close range to seal a satisfactory opening night for Tuchel.
