It was a disastrous start for the 1966 champions as the Democratic Republic of the Congo took the lead after just seven minutes. England were hurtling toward a humiliating early exit when Kane, as he had done so many times before, popped in to save the day.
Things don’t get any easier for England in the last 16, as they are now paired with co-hosts Mexico. This will be Tuchel’s toughest test since taking over as England manager, as Mexico have only lost two competitive matches at the Aztecs in the past 56 years.
Tuchel therefore called on all England fans, regardless of age, to get behind his players early on Monday morning. Schoolchildren are among them, and a German saying goes: “Let’s make an excuse to go to school and watch soccer. The World Cup only happens once every four years, so we need everyone’s support, especially children.”
England vs. Mexico is scheduled to start at 1am UK time, meaning many fans are at risk of missing the game, given that most matches will resume the following morning. If England continue to advance, next Saturday’s quarter-final against either Brazil or Norway will be another slow start.
Coach Tuchel has asked his players to step up their game for the match against Mexico, telling the BBC: “I was hoping (it would be less stressful) but when everyone gets what they want, everyone can get a goal early, get another goal and have an easy afternoon.
“That’s not the case. We have to deal with the situation as it comes. After the first water break, we had three, four, five big chances. I think the penalty situation was probably in our favor. And we kept knocking.”
“We kept knocking, knocking, knocking to crack that rock and make it happen. Their goalie was making unbelievable saves, so it got harder and harder, but the reaction and belief was unique, and they were ready to keep doing what they had to do, and we found a way to win, which is no surprise by the way.”
