England beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in Atlanta and advanced to the World Cup last 16 thanks to captain Harry Kane’s sensational brace.
Manager Thomas Tuchel was without two defenders from England’s World Cup win over Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jarrell Quansah did not actually feature for England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite being on the bench.
The Three Lions defender injured his ankle after starting in New Jersey’s 2-0 win against Panama last weekend.
The issue led to his exit, and manager Thomas Tuchel later said in his pre-match press conference in Atlanta that both Quansah and Reece James were not ready to feature in the Round of 32.
“They’re both getting closer and closer. Jarrell is a little bit ahead of Ricy,” Tuchel said on Tuesday.
“This race was close to getting into the squad for the match. We need to make sure we get more matches. That’s the main focus. Then we’ll be able to get in right away.”
Later, when Quansah was named as a substitute for the game against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eyebrows were raised.
He was also seen walking on the pitch at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the match, indicating that he was indeed part of the team.
Still, he didn’t change clothes and watched the game with fellow injured star James.
He is expected to be ready to return for the game against Mexico at Azteca Stadium, but it seems unlikely he will start.
Quansah has returned to light training on grass and is expected to return to team training in Kansas City before the team heads to Mexico City on Friday.
Jed Spence started at right-back, England’s problem position, at Georgia but struggled.
He was heavily involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s opener, being dragged in before Brian Shipenga fired a shot that beat Jordan Pickford.
Jarrell Quansah was on the bench for England vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo but did not change into shirt.
Tuchel paid tribute to his team’s mentality after the 1-0 win, which saw them refuse to throw in the towel.
He explained: This team today did not accept defeat as an outcome.
“They just didn’t accept it and they did what they needed to do so I’m very proud of them. Things got tough today but then they showed up and we got the win we deserved.
“We’re not going to back down, we’re not going to back down. That’s what this team is about. Like I said, they didn’t buy into that and it’s good to be a coach and feel that feeling on the sideline.”
“I don’t think the result at half-time was a fair result. We conceded a goal so early on that it made things more complicated than before. I think we didn’t press properly in the first 15 to 20 minutes.”
“We’ve seen stronger teams attack with more freedom and more threat towards goal. We stayed true to our beliefs and continued to push, push, push in the second half and I think our goalkeeper continued to make unbelievable saves.”
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