It was the night when Thomas Tuchel turned doubters into believers. In the madness of the Azteca, England’s coach ignored the noise about the altitude and took a breath when all around him were in danger of losing their heads.
England tried so hard to knock themselves out of the World Cup. This was so nearly a repeat of previous gut-wrenching tournament exits. All the ingredients were there, from the typical loss of composure in possession when England were leading 2-0 to one unlucky youngster getting himself sent off for a stupid challenge early in the second half. It would probably would have ended in the usual heartbreak without Tuchel’s interventions.
