England continued their excellent begin to the 2026 World Cup qualifying marketing campaign beneath Thomas Tuchel with a 3-0 victory over Latvia at Wembley Stadium.
Targets from Reece James, Harry Kane, and Eberechi Eze ensured the Three Lions made it two wins from two in Group Ok.
The hosts have been in management from the outset, although it took 38 minutes to interrupt down a resilient Latvia defence.
England’s early dominance almost counted for nothing when Vladislavs Gutkovskis squandered a golden alternative to place the guests forward, failing to capitalise on a mix-up between Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi.
That miss proved pricey as Chelsea defender Reece James, making his first begin for England since 2022, opened the scoring with a shocking free-kick from 25 yards.
His curling effort left Latvia goalkeeper Rihards Zviedris rooted to the spot, discovering the top-right nook along with his strike.
James’ objective marked England’s first free-kick objective at Wembley since John Barnes’ strike in opposition to the Netherlands in 1993.
Regardless of their dominance, England went into the break with only a one-goal lead. Tuchel’s facet managed possession and territory however struggled to transform their superiority into clear-cut probabilities within the first half.
The second half adopted an analogous sample, with England dictating play and Latvia struggling to interrupt out of their defensive form.
Three targets and three factors for the #ThreeLions 👏
A strong begin to our @FIFAWorldCup qualifying marketing campaign beneath Thomas Tuchel. pic.twitter.com/YqgoHlNzFr
— England (@England) March 24, 2025
England’s second objective lastly arrived within the 68th minute, courtesy of a well-worked transfer involving Declan Rice and Harry Kane. Rice, who has now supplied assists in consecutive England matches, surged down the appropriate flank earlier than drilling a low cross into the six-yard field, the place Kane was available to faucet house his 71st worldwide objective.
Tuchel made a number of substitutions to inject recent vitality into the sport, and it paid off within the 76th minute. Manchester Metropolis’s Phil Foden, launched instead of Jude Bellingham, performed a easy move to Eberechi Eze, who dazzled the Wembley crowd with an excellent solo run.
The Crystal Palace ahead weaved previous a number of defenders earlier than firing house through a deflection, securing his first objective for England in type.
England continued to push ahead, with debutant Rogers going shut on a few events, whereas Guehi missed a golden alternative so as to add a fourth. Zviedris produced a string of spectacular saves to maintain the scoreline respectable, denying Kane and Rogers late on.
With the victory, England stay prime of Group Ok and now have a 75-day break earlier than their subsequent qualifier in opposition to Andorra on June 7.
Latvia, in the meantime, will look to regroup forward of their conflict with Azerbaijan on the identical day. For Tuchel and his crew, this was one other step in the appropriate path as they proceed their journey in the direction of the 2026 World Cup.
