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| APYonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Thomas Tuchel, head coach of the England national team, also expressed dissatisfaction with the victory over Andorra.
England beat Andorra 1-0 in the third Group K match of the 2026 North-China World Cup European qualifying round at RCDE Stadium in Corneladejovregat, Spain on the 8th (Korea time). Harry Kane's first goal in the fifth minute of the second half led to the winning goal. England have maintained their lead in the group with three consecutive wins.
However, Tuchel does not seem happy at all. "I was most worried about the last 20 minutes of the second half," he said in a post-match press conference. "Because I didn't like the attitude of the players…" "I lacked both tension and concentration. It was like playing a joke. The team playing in the World Cup qualifying round did not respond."
Looking at the two teams' weight difference and the results on the day, Tuchel's anger is understandable. Andorra ranks 173rd in the FIFA rankings and is the lowest in the world. It is no match for England, which is ranked fourth in the FIFA rankings and is considered one of the favorites to win the North Korea-China World Cup. England played a one-sided game against Andorra with 83 percent ball possession. However, the score was only one goal scored by Kane. The BBC commented that England relied on long-range attacks without breaking through Andorra's organized defense. Manchester United legend and commentator Roy Keane, who watched the match, said "Some players seemed bored at the end of the second half.'
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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"We played well for about 25 minutes in the first half of the game," Tuchel said. He dominated the game and created many chances. But after that, he lost his momentum and did not recover"It seemed to recover early in the second half, but there was not enough tension."I analyzed the game on that day.
England will play a warm-up match against Senegal at its home ground in Nottingham on the 11th. The match against Senegal, Africa's second-largest team after Morocco (12th) with 19th FIFA rankings, is a chance to clean up its sluggish performance against Andorra. Tuchel admitted that the match against Andorra was far from our expectations. We will analyze the problems and show better performance in the next game."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
