Tuchel admits he wanted to 'eat grass' after England's World Cup win in Mexico

[p]Tuchel's side beat the World Cup co-hosts 3-2 in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a] City despite playing with 10 men after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/quansah-jarell/KtIpCeFE/"]Jarell Quansah[/a]'s dismissal in a dramatic last-16 tie in July.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a]'s defiant display in a raucous atmosphere at the Azteca was the stand-out moment of a World Cup campaign that ended in the frustration of a semi-final defeat against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a].[/p][p]Tuchel said beating Mexico with a heroic defensive performance created a bond between himself and the players.[/p][p]The German was so delighted by the experience that he had considered taking a bite out of the Azteca turf.[/p][embed guid="33885019-4a23-45fa-98d7-3b486cdc0259" url="https://x.com/England/status/2099892148418052371" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, I regret that I didn't eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever. That was the feeling. That was the moment,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]Tuchel felt the spirit of the England squad was evident after the Mexico game when midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henderson-jordan/UFMlUD6r/"]Jordan Henderson[/a] landed awkwardly vaulting over an advertising hoarding during the celebrations and broke his arm.[/p][p][b]"This game had so much of what you could wish for," [/b]Tuchel told former England striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sturridge-daniel/fwlDnzTg/"]Daniel Sturridge[/a] in an interview for the Football Association.[/p][p][b]"If you needed any proof of what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm.[/b][/p][p][b]"Within a second, the players were there. Every single player was there stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan – not going nowhere, in full empathy. It was just so special."[/b][/p][p]Tuchel hopes to carry that spirit into qualifying for Euro 2028, a tournament that will be co-hosted by England.[/p][p][b]"It created a huge bond to these players. It feels like they are my players now. This is the beauty of it,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"You have success and you have painful moments together, but you have so much time together and then you create a natural bond.[/b][/p][p][b]"So I'm happy to see them. I'm happy to challenge them, happy to push them, and very proud to be a part of that."[/b][/p][infobox id="0e8bad0a-7630-46a8-afe3-fa090b228a06" /][p]England return to action later this month when they host world champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] in the UEFA Nations League.[/p][p]They also travel to Croatia and play the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/6LHwBDGU/"]Czech Republic[/a] home and away during the upcoming international break.[/p][p]Tuchel, who is due to name his squad on Friday, believes England are capable of finally ending their long wait for a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup.[/p][p][b]"I'm very excited. I think we got another step closer and I think we're there,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"It's very difficult to prepare for a World Cup in the US, but I think it's possible to prepare for a Euros and we prepare in Nations League Tier One."[/b][/p]