England continued the perfect start of the 2026 World Cup campaign under Thomas Tuchel with a 3-0 win over Latvia at Wembley Stadium.
The goals by Reece James, Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze ensured that the three lions made two wins from two in the team.
The hosts had control from the beginning, although it took 38 minutes to break a durable Latvian defense.
England’s early sovereignty almost counts for anything when Vladislavs Gutkovskis wasted a golden opportunity to put visitors forward, failing to benefit from Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi.
This lady proved to be expensive, as Chelsea Defender Reece James, making his first start for England since 2022, opened the scoring with a stunning free kick of 25 meters.
His attempt to throw away Latvia goalkeeper Rihards Zviedris rooted on the spot, finding the top corner with his strike.
James ‘goal marked England’s first goal in Wembley from John Barnes’ strike against the Netherlands in 1993.
Despite their dominance, England went on a break with just one goal. The Tuchel side controlled occupation and ground, but struggled to turn their superiority into clear chances in the first semester.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with England dictating the game and Latvia struggling to escape their defensive form.
Three goals and three points for the #Threelions 👏
A compact start in our @FifaworldCup Qualifying Campaign under Thomas Tuchel. pic.twitter.com/yqgohlnzfr
– England (@england) March 24 2025
England’s second target finally reached the 68th minute, with the courtesy of a well -elaborate movement for Declan Rice and Harry Kane. Rice, who has now provided aids in successive England races, fell down the right side before filling a low cross in the six -fold box, where Kane was on alert to hit his 71st international target.
Tuchel made several replacements to introduce new energy into the game and yielded in the 76th minute. Manchester City’s Phil Foden, introduced in place of Jude Bellingham, played a simple pass to Eberechi Eze, who closed Wembley’s crowd with a brilliant solo.
Crystal Palace forwards a lot of defenders before shooting home through a diversion, securing his first goal for England in style.
England continued to promote, with debut Rogers approaching sometimes, while Guehi missed a golden opportunity to add a quarter. Zviedris produced a series of striking savings to maintain a respectable score, denying Kane and Rogers late.
With the victory, England remains at the top of the K team and now has a 75 -day break before their next qualifying round against Andorra on June 7th.
In the meantime, Latvia will look to rebuild in front of their conflict with Azerbaijan the same day. For Tuchel and his team, this was another step in the right direction as they continue their journey to the 2026 World Cup.
