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Thomas Tuchel said England did what was required in their 2-0 win over Panama, describing it as a tough but deserved victory.
He noted that Panama were physically strong and difficult to break down, but England created the better chances, stayed aggressive, managed counter-attacks well, and ultimately earned the win after a hard-fought performance. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored as England eased to a 2-0 victory over Panama in their crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match. "We did what was needed. It was what we expected: a tough match against a physical opponent. They are a difficult team to score against, and we were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice," Tuchel told reporters as per Reuters. "We were very aggressive, we had to be careful with counter-attacks. We deserved to win, but it was a hard piece of work," he added. Tuchel said the focus now shifts to the knockout stage of the tournament, urging England to regroup, rebuild energy, and carry forward their team spirit and belief. He added that the squad is ready to step up for bigger challenges ahead, expressing confidence that England will rise to the occasion as the stakes increase. "The tournament starts again now in the knockouts. Now we collect our strengths and energy and build on what we have -- we have the team spirit, fighting and belief. We will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get," he added. England, however, have an injury concern over right back Jarell Quansah before their next match in Atlanta. "Classic ankle twist," Tuchel said. "He's had it before, a matter of days, painful, he has his leg up high, ice. It will be a very tight race," he concluded. England topped Group L, securing first place and finishing the group stage strongly. Croatia finished second in the group, while Ghana, who had already secured qualification earlier, ended in third place. (ANI)
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