THIS was some start for Thomas Tuchel's brave new world.
The new England head coach's road to World Cup qualification began with a win, every big call just about came off and there was a wonderful Wembley fairy tale mixed in for good measure.
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly, aged 18 years and 176 days, made history when he scored the first goal of the Tuchel era.
Lewis-Skelly was the youngest player to score on his senior England debut, surpassing Marcus Rashford's record of 18 years and 209 days.
It also provided the best possible feel-good story of Tuchel's first game in charge because the left-back was full of confidence and gave us hope for a bright new future.
Newcastle centre-back Dan Burn, 32, is at the other end of the scale and he is a good story after his Carabao Cup glory but, at times, he looked cumbersome and sluggish.
Rashford, right, making his first England start since November 2023, justified his selection while Jude Bellingham ran the show from the No.10 role.
Harry Kane scored his 70th goal for England in his 104th game to prove that Tuchel can rely on his Captain Marvel to keep scoring all the way up to the World Cup next summer.
There was even a return for Jordan Henderson at the grand old age of 34 as the Ajax veteran came on as a late substitute. He was given a largely positive reception by the 82,378-strong Wembley crowd.
It was not always the “exciting” football Tuchel had craved, as the second half was a bit scrappy and disjointed, but the win was everything.
England have got 15 months until next summer's World Cup and there were enough reasons for optimism to think Tuchel has a good balance of youth, experience and entertainers at his disposal.
The Wembley crowd definitely bought into it as a banner was unfurled before kick-off which read: “Welcome to the H...
The new England head coach's road to World Cup qualification began with a win, every big call just about came off and there was a wonderful Wembley fairy tale mixed in for good measure.
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly, aged 18 years and 176 days, made history when he scored the first goal of the Tuchel era.
Lewis-Skelly was the youngest player to score on his senior England debut, surpassing Marcus Rashford's record of 18 years and 209 days.
It also provided the best possible feel-good story of Tuchel's first game in charge because the left-back was full of confidence and gave us hope for a bright new future.
Newcastle centre-back Dan Burn, 32, is at the other end of the scale and he is a good story after his Carabao Cup glory but, at times, he looked cumbersome and sluggish.
Rashford, right, making his first England start since November 2023, justified his selection while Jude Bellingham ran the show from the No.10 role.
Harry Kane scored his 70th goal for England in his 104th game to prove that Tuchel can rely on his Captain Marvel to keep scoring all the way up to the World Cup next summer.
There was even a return for Jordan Henderson at the grand old age of 34 as the Ajax veteran came on as a late substitute. He was given a largely positive reception by the 82,378-strong Wembley crowd.
It was not always the “exciting” football Tuchel had craved, as the second half was a bit scrappy and disjointed, but the win was everything.
England have got 15 months until next summer's World Cup and there were enough reasons for optimism to think Tuchel has a good balance of youth, experience and entertainers at his disposal.
The Wembley crowd definitely bought into it as a banner was unfurled before kick-off which read: “Welcome to the H...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 22, 2025