England debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly got new coach Thomas Tuchel's reign up and running as the 18-year-old scored the first goal in a 2-0 home victory against Albania in their World Cup qualifying Group K opener on Friday.
The Arsenal left back, who along with Newcastle United's Dan Burn was handed a first cap in Tuchel's maiden game in charge, slotted home in the 20th minute at a packed Wembley. It took England until the 77th minute to make the points safe, though, with captain Harry Kane's precise finish ensuring that Tuchel's opening night ended with three points.
Burn came close to making it a dream night for the debutants in the first half when he headed against the crossbar. Tuchel's England team are back in action at Wembley on Monday when they host Latvia in their second qualifier while Albania host group outsiders Andorra. Read the game back below with our dedicated live match blog.
England vs Albania latest news
- Kick-off time: 7.45pm GMT, Wembley Stadium
- How to watch for free
- England XI: Burn, Lewis-Skelly and Rashford start
- Score prediction
Full-time!
21:40 , Alex Young96min: There’s the whistle, as Gordon goes down injury.
A routine win as the Tuchel era begins. What a night for Lewis-Skelly!
Dom Smith at Wembley
21:38 , Alex Young82,378 is the attendance tonight. Not bad, but not mind-blowing, given it's the new manager's first game in charge and a Friday night.
91min: Five minutes added on.
90min: Lewis-Skelly gets a warm reception as he is substituted, replaced by Reece James.
89min: The tempo has calmed somewhat since the second goal, and many fans are taking the opportunity to take an earlier train home.
85min: Lewis-Skelly is still racing up and down the left flank.
82min: After an age, Kastrati replaces Strakosha.
Henderson is on for Rice.
80min: Henderson is warming up now as Strakosha gets medical attention.
It looks like the Albania keeper is coming off. Not sure what happened, but he’s been looked at a few times this half by the medical team.
GOAL!
21:23 , Alex Young77min: Kane gets his goal! No70 for England as he brings down Rice’s pass and drills a shot inside the far post.
Stunning finish.
74min: England make their first changes as Bowen, Rogers and Gordon come on.
Rashford, Foden and Jones make way.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
21:17 , Alex YoungEzri Konsa has been superb tonight, particularly given how unsettled Burn has looked alongside him.
He’s played the role of senior, calming presence, even though he is pretty inexperienced in an England shirt himself.
70min: A long spell of prodding and probing by England almost slips Bellingham through, but Ajeti, not for the first time, rescues his team.
67min: England now the team at times chasing shadows.
63min: First change of the game sees Albania introduce Broja. Bajrami makes way.
61min: Kane spots Jones’ run towards the back line, tries to flick the ball back for Foden but it’s a little behind his team-mate.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
21:04 , Alex YoungEngland had Albania in a real chokehold in that opening half-hour but they’ve not managed the same kind of control or domination of territory since.
59min: Kane is inches away from hitting the back of the net after getting on the end of Bellingham’s dinked cross.
56min: Gordon has been sent to warm up.
54min: Plenty of fizzed passing from England but Albania are standing firm at the moment.
Dom Smith at Wembley
20:56 , Alex YoungQuite a stop-start opening to this second half, with plenty of stoppages disrupting England's rhythm. You feel they could do with that assurance goal sooner rather than later...
49min: A great break from England sees Rashford send Foden down the left, but the Man City man waits and waits and waits before looking for the pass and the move breaks down.
47min: Burn has just booted Uzuni in the face when trying to clear the ball.
Second half!
20:49 , Alex Young46min: Back underway!
Phil Foden has been quiet so far this evening. Tuchel will be wanting more from him.
Lewis-Skelly's debut goal is the difference, and both Bellingham and Kane will be wondering how they haven't added to the scoreline.
A comfortable first 45 for Tuchel, but Albania have had their moments.
Half-time!
20:33 , Alex Young46min: Nope, bang on 45 minutes and there’s the whistle.
45min: Doesn’t appear to be any added time.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
20:31 , Alex YoungGet down to Harry Maguire’s office, scrape the name plaque off the door and give it a new home. A new Slabhead has been anointed.
Dan Kilpatrick at Wembley
20:31 , Alex YoungBurn has looked a little shaky defensively but he is proving a huge threat from set-pieces, getting his head on three corners in a row - the second of which crashed off the crossbar.
You certainly wouldn't bet against his dream fortnight getting even better with a debut goal here.
SAVE!
20:30 , Alex Young42min: Strakosha with another brilliant save to deny Burn a debut goal! A big header, a bigger save.
DOUBLE SAVE!
20:28 , Alex Young40min: Two incredible stops, first from Strakosha in goal to deny Bellingham from point-blank range and then Kane has the whole goal gaping to slot home but Djimsiti somehow sticks out a leg to divert the shot over.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
20:26 , Alex YoungEngland playing well, going 1-0 up, and then dropping off a bit. Welcome to a new era…
36min: Uzuni makes a great run into the area and is almost spotted by a team-mate, but Pickford is quick off his line to gather the pass.
34min: The Mexican waves have begun as Rashford sends Bellingham into the area, who tries to toe-poke a finish beyond the keeper but is denied.
32min: Djimsiti is booked for a foul, and then a rather angry chat with the referee.
31min: Rashford pulls out of a tackle, allowing Ajeti to get forward and win a throw-in deep in England’s half.
Tuchel will have noticed, I’m sure.
30min: Half an hour gone and it’s all fairly comfortable for England, bar those two corners for Albania.
Dom Smith at Wembley
20:17 , Alex YoungA couple of nervy moment for England there at the back.
They must keep their heads and ensure they don't gift the visitors a route back into a game that should be a routine win to begin this qualification campaign off.
28min: Corner for Albania after Pickford and Burn eventually deal with a cross.
The delivery is whipped in and headed clear. It comes back in and this time Burn does deal with it at the first attempt.
26min: Another great ball over the top, this time for Rashford but a poor first touch lets him down inside the area.
23min: Albania are going to be exhausted by half-time with all this ball-chasing.
England in full control.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
20:10 , Alex YoungThomas Tuchel was straight in touchline conversation with Jude Bellingham while England celebrated that goal.
Signs that he is already emerging as a leader in the middle of the park.
GOAL!
20:07 , Alex Young20min: Lift-off for Tuchel and lift-off for Lewis-Skelly!
The debutant darts into the area and onto Bellingham’s run, and nutmegs the onrunning keeper to score the first goal of Tuchel’s reign!
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
20:06 , Alex YoungYou don’t think of Phil Foden as a chalk-on-your-boots winger but it’s noticeable how high and wide he’s playing. The big switch is always on an Declan Rice has tried it a couple of times already.
17min: Kane wriggles through and into the area after Rashford and Bellingham combine to win the ball back in the D. Smart feet from Kane, but the final finish wasn’t there.
14min: Now Jones gets into the area and to the byline, looks up and tries to find Kane with a cutback, but Albania can mop up.
13min: Kane drops in and spots Rashford’s run into the area, who pounces on the ball but is shepherded out of the area so the move breaks down.
11min: Bellingham is lively tonight, chasing down everything and always moving.
Dom Smith at Wembley
19:59 , Alex YoungCould be significant that Jordan Pickford is starting in goal tonight.
Dean Henderson said last month that he feels he is "neck and neck" with Pickford in the race to be England's No1 under Tuchel. Rather than the two-cap man, it's a 74th for Pickford.
He bypasses Gordon Banks, no less, who earned 73.
8min: Jones and Walker not quite on the same wavelength so Albania finally get more than one touch on the ball... but kick it long and it’s back with Pickford.
5min: First half-sight of goal for England as Bellingham’s run is spotted by Walker, and the midfielder almost brings it down with a super touch inside the area but Ajeti gets a boot in.
4min: Albania chasing shadows.
3min: England with all the early possession, as expected.
Dan Kilpatrick at Wembley
19:49 , Alex Young“No surprises in England's system, which looks like a 4-2-3-1, with Jones and Rice sitting behind an advanced Bellingham, who Tuchel described as an ‘8, 10’ yesterday.”
Kick-off!
19:47 , Alex Young1min: Up and running at Wembley!
We have a minute’s applause for George Eastham, a former England player who recently passed away.
National anthems being belted out.
Here they come, amid the fog of some fireworks.
The players are starting to line up in the tunnel.
Tuchel on Lewis-Skelly to ITV1
19:39 , Alex Young"Nothing but impressive, I can absolutely understand why everyone loves the boy.
“He's ready to go.”
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
19:35 , Alex Young“He’s not even kicked a ball yet but I’m already getting Harry Maguire, peak-Slabhead era vibes from Dan Burn in terms of potentially becoming a bit of a cult figure among England fans.
“He’s had to wait a long old time for it, but he could not have picked a better moment to make his England debut.”
Right, the players are heading back to the dressing room. Not long to go now.
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
19:30 , Alex YoungThere’s going to be a cracking atmosphere in here tonight. The official Albanian section is already pretty packed but from the numbers of supporters on Wembley Way I suspect there’ll be an awful lot mixed in among the home fans as well.
Captain Kane
19:28 , Alex YoungHarry Kane, of course, starts tonight as captain.
Kane made his debut for England almost exactly a decade ago, back in March 2015. He scored 79 seconds into his first appearance and has added a further 68 in the 10 years since.
He now plays under his fifth manager, and certainly his more experienced trophy-wise.
Kyle Walker speaks to ITV1
19:12 , Alex Young"It has been good, it is exciting and it is a new era. I fully enjoyed it under Gareth [Southgate] - many great memories. Now, it's turn the page and start again."
“[Tuchel] wants a high intensity game of football. The team he has picked tonight shows that. He wants us to go and be exciting."
Two of our guys at Wembley.
🗣️ "Tuchel has put his stamp on his team immediately with Burn and Lewis-Skelly starting."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) March 21, 2025
Here's @MalikOuzia_ and @Dan_KP, at Wembley, with their thoughts on Tuchel's first England XI.
LIVE: https://t.co/2ZMsgRWXep#ENGALB | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/tVs3SRA3DI
A little over 45 minutes until kick-off.
Dom Smith at Wembley
18:42 , Alex YoungIt is hard to know how much weight should be given to the selection decisions tonight, because it's such early days for Tuchel's England, only his first game in charge.
But Curtis Jones has had an excellent season, showing for Liverpool and for England previously that he is comfortable in multiple positions.
Angel Gomes, Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo (none of whom are in this squad) plus the re-called Jordan Henderson all have a chance of establishing themselves as Declan Rice's partner in a double pivot.
A good display tonight could help Jones claim it for himself. Perhaps, in the manager's eyes, he already has?
Malik Ouzia at Wembley
18:40 , Alex YoungA couple of debutants in Thomas Tuchel’s backline, which adds about as much excitement as we were probably going to get in personnel terms this evening.
Myles Lewis-Skelly could well prove a long-term answer to England’s left-back problem, but what to read into Dan Burn’s inclusion, which seemingly comes at Marc Guehi’s expense. Tuchel simply picking a man on a high?
He’s talked up Burn’s leadership a lot this week even as a newcomer to the group and perhaps having that kind of player alongside Lewis-Skelly is a factor, too.
And I wonder whether we might be seeing the German’s preference for a naturally left-footed centre-back as part of his pair as well.
Albania XI
18:34 , Alex YoungConfiemd Albania XI: Strakosha; Balliu, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Aliji; Asllani, Ramadani; Asani, Bajrami, Laci; Uzuni
England XI
18:29 , Alex YoungConfirmation.
Thomas Tuchel's #ThreeLions! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/92k57ClsXg
— England (@England) March 21, 2025
So, that’s debuts for Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly, a start for Curtis Jones and a chance to impress for Marcus Rashford.
England XI
18:20 , Alex YoungConfirmed England XI: Pickford, Walker, Konsa, Burn, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Bellingham, Jones, Foden, Rashford, Kane
Match odds
18:16 , Alex YoungIt looks like the bookies are in agreement.
- England to win: 1/8
- Draw: 6/1
- Albania: 14/1
(Odds provided by Betway.)
Tuchel out to restore England excitement and free pressure in new era
18:10 , Alex YoungAs Thomas Tuchel prepares for his first game in charge of England, tonight's World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley, in some respects we have come full circle.
Gareth Southgate found himself tasked with trying to free his players from the oppressive weight of history, appearing as much grief counsellor as football coach at certain points of his tenure, including before the landmark win over Germany at Euro 2020.
For Tuchel, the fresh challenge is now to free his players from the weight of raised expectations, a result of the enormous progress made in seven years under his predecessor.
"I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players, and it felt to me that they were more afraid not to lose and not to have even more pressure added in their home country than the excitement to make something special happen," said Tuchel, in a surprisingly frank assessment of England's Euro 2024 under Southgate, which ended with defeat by Spain in the final.
Tuchel was offered a timely reminder of the burden of England's history when asked if Sir Geoff Hurst's second goal in the 1966 World Cup final win over his native Germany should have stood.
"There is still debate! I don’t think so, but there was no VAR at this time so it stands," he said, in another skilful disarming of what might easily have been a tricky question.
Tuchel, above all, wants to free his players by restoring the "joy" and "excitement", which he felt was missing from the Euros.
Head to head history and results
18:00 , Alex YoungAs I mentioned below, Tuchel will be pleased with the level of his first opponent.
England have won all six of their previous meetings with Albania, and have conceded just one goal during that time - a 93rd-minute consolation from Altin Rraklli in 2001.
- England wins: 6
- Draws: 0
- Albania wins: 0
Score prediction
17:51 , Alex YoungAs far as first tests go, Tuchel will know this could have been easier - like Monday’s opponents, Latvia, for example - but there will be very few excuses for not winning. The toughest opponents for the Three Lions during World Cup qualifying are expected to be Serbia, who come later in the year.
Tuchel will be desperate to get his reign up and running with a statement win, and the gulf in class between both squads is vast, despite a smattering of recognisable names in Sylvinho’s squad. All being well, England should win this comfortably, extending their perfect record against ‘The Red and Blacks’.
England to win, 3-0.
Predicted XI
17:42 , Alex YoungHere’s what England reporter Malik Ouzia has gone with for tonight.
Thoughts?
Predicted England XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Konsa, Guehi, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Jones; Foden, Bellingham, Rogers; Kane
Three already ruled out
17:35 , Alex YoungThree players who will definitely not be playing tonight are Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale.
Thomas Tuchel called up 26 players, all of whom are fit and available for selection, but UEFA rules state that teams can only name 23 players in a squad for a fixture.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Gibbs-White was left out of Tuchel's original squad but called up as a replacement for injured Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer.
Liverpool defender Quansah and Southampton's Ramsdale - one of four goalkeepers named in the squad - have also been omitted.
Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and James Trafford will compete for minutes in goal against Albania and in Monday's second qualifier against Latvia, also at Wembley.
Early England team news
17:26 , Alex YoungThomas Tuchel is set to make an intriguing first England team selection tonight.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn are the two new call-ups hoping to make their respective debuts, with the former perhaps more likely to get the nod at left-back given that both Luke Shaw and Lewis Hall are currently absent through injury.
Reece James is hoping to win his first cap in two years, having been immediately recalled by Tuchel, under whom he won the Champions League at Chelsea, but faces stiff competition from Kyle Walker.
John Stones is another Gareth Southgate regular who misses this first squad through injury, meaning there is an opening at centre-back alongside Marc Guehi. The identity of Declan Rice’s midfield partner will again be the subject of much intrigue following Conor Gallagher’s omission and Henderson’s shock return.
The squeeze on attacking positions behind captain Harry Kane is also eased by the absence of Bukayo Saka, a Southgate favourite who is still on his way back from a hamstring injury. Morgan Rogers is considered a strong candidate to start.
Kane is certain to lead the line at Wembley, with Dominic Solanke in as striking back-up while Ollie Watkins is out injured.
How to watch England vs Albania
17:17 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, England vs Albania is being shown live and free-to-air on ITV1 with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT ahead of a 7:45pm kick-off.
Live stream: You can also watch the action live online via ITVX, which is free with a registration.
Welcome
17:12 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the 2026 World Cup qualifier between England and Albania.
You may have noticed, but it is also Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge as England head coach.
Tuchel will have welcomed what should prove a routine first proper day in his new role as the Three Lions’ begin their journey to next year’s World Cup.
Kick-off at Wembley is at 7.45pm GMT. Stick with us.
