Thomas Tuchel achieved his second consecutive win as the head coach of England during their World Cup qualifier against Latvia at Wembley. However, the match was more of a grind than an exhilarating encounter until England was able to assert their dominance.
Similar to his debut match against Albania, England faced long stretches of frustration against a Latvia team ranked 140th globally before finally turning their control into goals. Chelsea’s captain, Reece James, marked his first start for England since September 2022 by delivering an impressive free-kick from 20 yards out, finding the back of the net just seven minutes before halftime.
Despite their efforts, England found it challenging to increase their lead against Latvia’s tenacious defense until Harry Kane, the team captain, scored his 71st goal in 105 international matches, converting a cross from Declan Rice in the 68th minute. As Latvia began to tire and lose their resistance, substitute Eberechi Eze netted his inaugural goal for England with a deflected shot in the 76th minute.
