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Myles Lewis-Skelly became England’s youngest ever scoring debutant and Harry Kane produced a clinical late finish as Thomas Tuchel’s reign began with a routine 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying win over Albania at Wembley Stadium.
Full-back Lewis Skelly, who made his debut in senior football for Arsenal less than six months ago, coolly slotted in from Jude Bellingham’s perceptive pass, scoring a first goal for Tuchel in the 20th minute of his opening game against opponents who lost their previous visit to Wembley 5-0 in 2021.
Kane’s 70th international goal was a beauty in the 77th minute, the Bayern Munich striker biding his time after Declan Rice found him inside the box before finding the far corner of the net with a superb finish.
England are next in action when they host Latvia at Wembley on Monday (19:45). Albania, who did not have an attempt on target, simultaneously host Andorra in Group K.
Myles Lewis-Skelly on his debut! 🤩
The first @England goal of the Thomas Tuchel era#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/y9BvWydGt8
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 21, 2025
England v Albania: Tuchel starts with win
There were signs of the way Tuchel wants England to play during this satisfactory start to the demanding 51-year-old’s tenure, in which he gave Lewis-Skelly and centre-back Dan Burn their debuts.
As well as width and an intense press, one of the more straightforward tactics employed by the hosts was the targeting of the 6ft 7in Burn from crosses, and the 32-year-old almost rewarded their supply when he headed against the crossbar via goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha’s fingertips before the break.
Strakosha also kept England’s advantage to one at half-time with an excellent save to deny Bellingham from close range, with Kane’s follow-up blocked impressively by Atalanta centre-back Berat Djimsiti.
A world class finish from Harry Kane! 👌
Goal number 70 for @England‘s all-time top goalscorer #ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/5kGsjhwbDy
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 21, 2025
Myles Lewis-Skelly: England prodigy ‘at home’
“I’m lost for words,” 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly told ITV Football, standing alongside club team-mate Rice while thanking Tuchel and his team-mates for their “faith” in him. “The fans made me feel at home.”
Rice said he had been keen to “look after” Lewis-Skelly but had little doubt over his ability to shine four months after his last appearance for England Under-19s.
“One word you can use for him is fearless,” said Rice. “I knew he was going to play like that because of the confidence he has in himself and the way he’s trained all week, what I’ve seen at the club and how he is.”
“He’s fearless” 👊@_DeclanRice sums up that dream debut from his Arsenal and England teammate @lewisskelly49 #ThreeLions | @gabrielclarke05 🎙 pic.twitter.com/GwrYmQLCqG
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 21, 2025
The midfielder and Bellingham both emphasised that England are adapting to Tuchel but spoke positively of his ideas. “It’s only been four days’ training together,” added Rice.
“We need to keep getting used to what [Tuchel] wants from us. Albania sat in a low block, which is hard to break down. We had to keep going.”