Thomas Tuchel continued his perfect start to life with the Three Lions as England secured a 3-0 win against Latvia in their second World Cup qualifier.
Reece James marked his first international start in over two-and-a-half years with a stunning opener just before the break, curling his free-kick into the top corner after a low Latvian block had frustrated Tuchel’s men for much of the opening stages.
Before the goal, England prodded and probed at their opponents but came close to conceding when a lapse in communication between Marc Guehi and Jordan Pickford left the goal gaping – but forward Vladislavs Gutkovskis failed to capitalise on the error.
Reece James curled in a free-kick to give England the lead vs Latvia
It was a quiet evening for Harry Kane by his emphatic standards but, after seeing one effort whistle wide of the target, he drifted in at the back post to tap home a second, rounding off a well-worked team move involving Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers (68).
Rogers played a crucial role in the second and was close to claiming the third. Eberechi Eze squeezed an effort towards goal before it cannoned off a defender and inches wide of Rogers on its way in.
England are now sitting pretty at the top of Group K with six points from their opening two games of the Tuchel era, with the next international break and opportunity for the German to mould his team in the manner he wishes not pencilled in until June 6.
Perfect start and more to come
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
A routine win for England in the end, and it was a more encouraging performance than Friday’s against Albania.
England threatened throughout and on another day, where the goalkeeper isn’t in such fine form, they walk away with a more dominant scoreline.
The signs are positive, the patterns in play are emerging and players like Marcus Rashford, who retained his spot in the line-up despite being openly criticised, are reacting to what Thomas Tuchel is demanding of them.
The most exciting part? This is just the start.
The next international break isn’t until June 6. Plenty of work to be done before then, plus the returns of Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
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