England beat Albania 2-0 as Kane & Lewis-Skelly hand Tuchel his first victory | OneFootball

England beat Albania 2-0 to mark the beginning of the Thomas Tuchel era with a crucial victory. The Three Lions began their road to the 2026 World Cup with a straightforward win.

The German tactician replaced Gareth Southgate and is tasked with leading the Three Lions to the 2026 showpiece and winning the tournament.

Tuchel lined England up in a 4-2-3-1, and as expected, they dominated the game, leaving the minnows to chase their shadows.

England made their dominance count through Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is enjoying a sensational breakout campaign. Lewis-Skelly became the youngest player in history to score on his England debut.

The Three Lions worked hard to get the second, but it didn’t come before the half-time whistle. Albania took confidence from England’s inability to find a second and came steaming forward.

Substitute Armando Broja was a handful for the England defence when he came on, but the Three Lions managed to score that elusive second goal courtesy of captain Harry Kane.

The Bayern Munich forward chested down a pass from Declan Rice and finished expertly to give England some much-needed cushion. It was Kane’s 70th for England, extending his lead over Wayne Rooney (53).

England sealed a dominant win even without leaving first gear. They set the tempo and controlled most of the proceedings. They could control counterattacks better, but all in all, it was too hard to judge England’s chances in 2026 based on this opposition.

England take on Latvia on Monday and should have enough in their arsenal to get past them. The Three Lions will be eager to prove their mettle and qualify for the showpiece.

They will be determined to win the trophy in 2026 on the 60th anniversary of their first victory in 1966. It remains to be seen if Tuchel can deliver the holy grail.