Thomas Tuchel: “England turned around and avoided a shock World Cup exit to the Democratic Republic of Congo to banish the ghosts of past disappointments at major tournaments.
Captain Harry Kane saved the Three Lions with two late goals to seal a 2-1 victory in Atlanta and set up a Sunday clash with co-hosts Mexico, who will have home advantage at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
AFP: England are seeking to break a 60-year wait for a major tournament triumph.
This generation of players had been closer to glory than others, having lost the last two finals of the European Championship.
But after a horrible start to the game against a club ranked 46th in the world, Tuchel stated he saw no signs of his squad crumbling under the weight of expectation.
Brian Cipenga took advantage of poor England defending to give the Congolese an early edge which they held until 15 minutes from time.
“This team today didn’t accept to lose as an outcome,” the German remarked in a post-match press conference.
“It would be so easy to just give in, to just accept the narrative. “I didn’t see any of that and that’s a very good sign,” he said.
The ex-Chelsea boss added: “That makes me very proud because they did what was required. “It was a tough day today, they turned up and we got a deserved win, even if it was a late one.”
Tuchel’s players have overcome one obstacle but have a devilishly difficult approach to their objective of becoming world champions.
Even if they do shatter Mexico’s hearts in front of 70,000+ home fans, Brazil, Argentina and France might be waiting in the final stages.
El Tri have won all four World Cup games so far, without conceding a goal and also have the advantage of having acclimatised to the high altitude of Mexico City.
“It’s probably one of the most beautiful fixtures, one of the most exciting fixtures you can have. We play versus Mexico in Azteca,” added Tuchel.
“The altitude will be a big disadvantage for us of course, as we can’t physically adapt to it in four days. That is simply not possible.
“We may face more hurdles, but we are ready for them. We need it. Maybe we have the perfect platform now to really believe we are ready for that. When the going gets rough, we shall discover the answers.
‘Our leader, our captain’
Kane rode to the rescue of his homeland again and again.
The fifth goal of the tournament upped his World Cup tally to 13 and kept the Bayern Munich striker in the star-studded battle for the Golden Boot.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe lead the list with 6 goals each. Erling Haaland also has five, while Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Junior have four.
“They’re all sharks. “If they smell blood, they come and score,” Tuchel said of the Golden Boot race.
“It’s wild. Kane is really good. He is our captain he is our leader and he wins football matches in amazing finishes.
“Today, twice. “The other one was just a great goal.
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