England are 90 minutes away from their first World Cup final since 1966. Gareth Southgate built the foundations and made the country resonate with the national team once again. Tuchel stepped in and has turned this team into a group that refuses to panic under pressure. This England side are no longer just contenders, but a team that believe they can go all the way.
Heading into this tournament, there was an expectation about England. Thomas Tuchel divided the nation with his team selection, leaving out multiple big names. However, this is what he was brought in to do. England have, for years, shoehorned players into their teams out of position because, on paper, they are the best talent in the country. Tuchel has taken players to America who fit his system, and he believes they work best as a team. The idea of bringing in Tuchel was to take that step further and bring in a proven world-class coach who was going to give them the best chance of finally getting over the line and achieving that second star. So far, he is showing exactly why.
Group Stage
England’s group stage started with a game against their 2018 World Cup semi-final opponents, Croatia. This was seen as by far their hardest challenge in the group, with Croatia ranked 13th in the world. England put in a statement performance to kick off their campaign, winning 4-2, in a game that saw attacking football in bucketloads but not much defensive control. This game showed that when a team wants to go blow for blow against England, their abundance of attacking talent will be too much for the opposition.
In the second group game against Ghana, they lost some momentum. The expectation heading into this game was that it was going to be a chance to add to their goal difference. This wasn’t the case, and Ghana defended superbly, holding England to a 0-0 draw. As much as you have to give credit to the defending, England looked lost for ideas when it came to facing a low block.
Panama were up next, and England cruised through this test, winning 2-0, topping the group on their way to the knockouts. Jude Bellingham added a goal and an assist to continue his fine run of form, just like the other goal scorer, Harry Kane, who added his third in three games.
The Knockouts
This is when England’s tournament really started. Progressing through the groups was always seen as a formality. The first knockout game saw them face the DR Congo in the Round of 32, and things got real very fast. Seven minutes in, and they found themselves 1-0 down. The game was similar to the group game against Ghana. Passing sideways and backwards endlessly, with no killer passes or crosses to threaten the DR Congo back line, and their goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi, was having the game of his life. It seemed like one of those days for England, reminiscent of the Iceland game in Euro 2016. However, the game changed dramatically in the 75th minute. Anthony Gordon clipped a ball into the middle of the box, and who else but Harry Kane was there to meet it, powering a header past the goalie. Just over 10 minutes later, Kane was on hand again, this time rifling a ridiculous attempt into the roof of the net, completing the comeback. A scare, but England’s individual quality carried them through their first knockout stage test.
Mexico were waiting in the Round of 16 for a challenging match at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City—the ultimate away game. Talk of altitude and the atmosphere filled most of the daily conversation in the lead-up, but there were no excuses for an English side looking to make a deep run. Jude Bellingham stunned the home crowd into silence with two goals 98 seconds apart towards the end of the first half. This cushion didn’t last long. Quiñones fired Mexico back into the game in the 42nd minute, reigniting the atmosphere once again. Soon into the second half, England were reduced to 10, with Jarell Quansah seeing red. A penalty converted by both England and Mexico saw the scoreline sit at 3-2. It remained this way, with England defending heroically for nearly a full 45 minutes of football. Dan Burn became a national hero, throwing his head at everything in sight and making the most clearances of any player on the pitch despite only coming on in the 74th minute.
The quarter-finals were England’s stumbling block last time out against France in 2022. This time around, it was a clash against an overachieving, physical Norway side. The Norwegians had lived up to their dark horse label and had killed off Brazil in the last game, largely due to some Erling Haaland freak finishing. England began the game by controlling most of the possession, but they struggled to create chances. Then, Norway winger Schjelderup fired a cross that turned into a shot, finding the top corner and catching Pickford off guard. However, at the stroke of half-time, Bellingham did what he does best, taking responsibility on his shoulders, driving through the box, and finishing past Nyland with his weaker left foot. The second half was tight, with no goals, taking the match to extra time. Extra time started just as every England fan would have dreamt it. Morgan Rogers shot from outside the box, Nyland spilled it, and Jude was there to slot it home, taking England to the World Cup semi-finals.
Next: A date with Argentina on Wednesday.
