Harry Kane backed the England faithful after Thomas Tuchel's criticism and pointed chants during the 5-0 win over Latvia. The travelling army of fans made their voices heard loud and clear in Riga, and this time, their songs were aimed squarely at their own manager after Tuchel’s dig at “silent" supporters following England’s 3-0 friendly win over Wales.
Chants, cheers and cheek: England fans fire back at Tuchel
From the first whistle, chants of “Thomas Tuchel, we’ll sing when we want!” and “Thomas Tuchel, are we loud enough for you?” roared through the stands, echoing across the Latvian capital. The England boss may have questioned their volume last week, but there was no mistaking the noise this time around. Tuchel’s men were ruthless on the pitch too, with goals from Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze, a Maksims Tonisevs own goal, and a brace from captain Harry Kane, sealing a flawless night and a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTuchel takes the jokes on the chin
Tuchel, who had criticised fans for being too subdued at Wembley days earlier, admitted he saw the funny side of the chants hurled his way.
"I got a bit of stick today, in the first half, pretty much in every song," Tuchel said. "So fair enough. Well done. I take it and good humour, good sense of humour. They had a reason today from my last comments and I guess that's fair enough. I got a bit of stick and I found it quite creative. It made me smile and this is how it has to be. It's British humour and I surely can take it. No harm done. It's so important. They are here and I said the support in Serbia was brilliant, and we are very sure the support in America will be absolutely brilliant.
"We need it. It makes such a difference if you go out as a player or as a coach and you see the fans behind the team and singing. We want to make them proud, we want to make them happy. They should be happy to watch us and they should be able to identify with how we play. We are on our way to build something and top performance from them."
Kane bats for the fans
Kane wasn’t about to let the supporters’ loyalty go unnoticed. After leading the charge with two goals, taking his staggering season tally to 21 in just 13 games, the England skipper made sure to set the record straight.
"I know Thomas came out after the last game and said the fans weren't great, but I don't think you can question our away support ever," he told ITV Sport. "The way they were tonight was fantastic. And look, we've qualified for another major tournament. We know the England fans enjoy going out – and America's going to be a special place to play – and we've got something to look forward to now. Yeah, credit to them for travelling out here and showing the noise they did."
While Kane’s goals grabbed the headlines, it was his leadership that really caught Tuchel’s eye. The England manager was full of praise for his star man’s relentless work rate and commitment.
"It's a pleasure to have him. He's in excellent shape, mentally, physically, in top form, top shape," Tuchel said. "Apart from scoring another two goals, look at the goal in the 85th minute from [Eze], we have a ball loss and Harry goes all the way back to his own half and puts his head down in another sprint defensively.
"As a captain, as the No 9, there's no real need to do this. No one will ever blame him if he didn't do it. But he does it, and that sets the standards. That is so brilliant to see, because he helps us win the ball and this in the end results in the goal from [Eze]. Harry is ready to put in the intensity and the shift that is needed."
Getty/GOALThe perfect qualifying run: Unbeaten, untouched, unstoppable
England’s 5-0 triumph over Latvia wasn’t just another win; it completed a perfect qualifying campaign. The Three Lions have won every game and haven’t conceded a single goal on the road to the World Cup. Tuchel’s side became the first European nation to book their place at the 2026 showpiece, setting a marker for the rest of the continent. England will round off their qualifying campaign next month with matches against Serbia and Albania before regrouping in March for pre-tournament friendlies.