Thomas Tuchel Reveals Unusual Regret After England’s Famous Mexico Win

England boss Thomas Tuchel has opened up about an unusual regret from this summer's World Cup, admitting he wishes he'd eaten a bit of grass from the Azteca Stadium after his side's famous win over Mexico.

England beat the co-hosts 3-2 in the last 16, holding on for large parts of the game with ten men after Jarrell Quansah was sent off. It's remembered as one of the Three Lions' greatest wins in recent memory.

Tuchel looked back on that night and the rest of the tournament, which ended in heartbreak against Argentina in the semi-finals, while speaking for the FA's upcoming documentary "Reflections: England's World Cup journey."

"I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, 'I regret that I didn't eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever.' That was the feeling. That was the moment," Tuchel said.

He went on to describe just how much that win meant to the squad. "This game had so much of what you could wish for," he said.

One moment in particular stuck with him, when Jordan Henderson fell and broke his arm during the celebrations. 

"If you needed any proof of what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment Jordan fell over and broke his arm," Tuchel said. "Within a second, the players were there. Every single player was there stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan, not going anywhere, in full empathy. It was so special."

The win over Mexico was one that plenty of England fans back home stayed up through the night to watch, and it's remained a standout memory from the tournament despite the eventual exit at the hands of Argentina.

Looking ahead, Tuchel will now lead England into a home Euros in two years, and he believes the squad is in a stronger position to finally end the country's long wait for a major trophy since 1966. 

"It feels like they are my players now, it's something to build on," he said. "I'm very excited. I think we got another step closer and I think we're there."

England's next assignment comes soon, with the first international break of the season approaching. They will face World Cup winners Spain on September 26 in the opening game of four Nations League fixtures, which also include two matches against Czechia and one against Croatia. The squad for those games will be announced this Friday.