LONDON: England manager Thomas Tuchel is adamant there is “no curse” upon his side as he looks to end their near 60-year wait for a major international trophy.
England’s only previous major title came at the 1966 World Cup on home soil, defeating West Germany in the final.
England came close several times to ending the drought under Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate, losing successive European Championship finals, as well as reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the last eight in 2022.
England’s women have enjoyed success under Sarina Wiegman, winning back-to-back Euros titles in 2022 and 2025, while the men’s Under-21 side are also double European champions after backing up their 2023 title with victory in Slovakia in June.
“Not at all,” Tuchel said when asked if he felt extra pressure due to the women’s and youth teams’ successes.
“If it is something, then it is a good omen and I was so happy for Sarina and (Under-21 coach) Lee (Carsley) because they made it and they made an extraordinary effort and a huge success with back-to-back victories...
“It is possible (to win a trophy with England), there is no curse on English teams and it is a good omen and we will do our very best to follow their example.”
England face Andorra on Saturday in qualifying for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, before taking on Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday.
“I get a lot of tips, that’s for sure, but always in a friendly manner,” former Chelsea boss Tuchel said of his interactions with England fans.
“Most of them just say, ‘Bring it home, Thomas’. That’s basically the task.”
Manchester City defender John Stones has withdrawn from the squad for the upcoming games with injury.
Stones has not added to his tally of 83 caps since last October.
“Unfortunately, John Stones just left,” Tuchel said. “He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would.
“So, he left camp this morning (Friday) because we will not take the risk. Everyone else is available.”
Tuchel confirmed England captain Harry Kane will lead the side in the Andorra qualifier.
“Yes. He (Kane) starts. There is no balance, the competition is on and it is World Cup season,” he said.
England only beat Andorra, a lowly 174th in the FIFA world rankings, 1-0 when the teams met in their initial qualifier in June.
“We will face — in both matches — a deep block and a 5-4-1 for sure in the first match and it is the challenge to overcome that quickly and aggressively and play with more rhythm than we did in the first match (against Andorra),” said Tuchel.
Latvia and Albania are the other two sides in Group K of European qualifying, with the group winners booking a place at the World Cup.
‘No curse’ on England, insists Tuchel despite near misses
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‘No curse’ on England, insists Tuchel despite near misses
- England manager Thomas Tuchel is adamant there is “no curse” upon his side as he looks to end their near 60-year wait for a major international trophy
China beat North Korea 2-1 to take top spot in Group B
- Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage
SYDNEY: Defending champion China edged North Korea 2-1 in a physical, high-energy game Monday to take top spot in Group B in the Women’s Asian Cup.
The result sent North Korea into a quarterfinal Friday against Australia in Perth, where the hosts and 2023 World Cup semifinalists opened the tournament with a win over Philippines.
China and North Korea were already assured of quarterfinal spots with two wins apiece ahead of their showdown at Western Sydney Stadium. Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage.
Playing in their first Women’s Asian Cup tournament since losing the 2010 final to Australia, North Korea only needed a draw against China to top the group. And they took the lead when Kim Kyong Yong finished off a counter-attacking goal in the 32nd minute, the first shot on goal in the game.
The lead was shortlived, though, with China equalizing two minutes later with Chen Qiaozhu’s stunning strike through traffic from the edge of the area.
China went ahead in a tense finish to the first half, when Wang Shuang’s goal was awarded after a VAR review deep in stoppage time.
The VAR decision to overturn the assistant referee’s offside call upset the North Korean players and led to coach Ri Song Ho being yellow carded by referee Thi Ly Le as his team protested on the sideline. The North Korean players didn’t return to the pitch before halftime was called.
Both teams had chances in the second half, with North Korea goalkeeper Yu Son Gum making a full-length diving save to Wang’s powerful left-foot shot in the 78th, and then 19-year-old Choe Il Son appearing to equalize two minutes later before being ruled offside after a VAR review.
In Perth, Dildora Nozimova scored twice in six minutes for Uzbekistan, her first just two minutes after entering the game as a substitute on the hour.
State of play
The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.
In Group A, South Korea edged Australia for top spot on goal difference after the 3-3 draw in Sydney on Sunday night. The South Koreans will play the third-place team from either Group B or Group C in the quarterfinals. Philippines still have a narrow chance of advancing after placing third, finishing with a win over Iran. That put Iran women’s team out of contention, and facing the prospect of a return to country at war.
In Group C, two-time champion Japan lead with six points ahead of their last group match against Vietnam, who are tied with Taiwan for second spot on three points. Taiwan finish the group stage against India.
