England v Latvia: World Cup 2026 qualifier – as it happened (2025)

Righto, David Hytner’s report is here:

Which means we’re all over. Thanks all for your company and comments, sorry I couldn’t use them all. Love.

Tuchel says it was not an easy match, “we had to unlock it.” He saw a lot of good things, they created chances from set-pieces, and though it took a free-kick, he’s happy.

On James, he says “I know Reecey,” laughing when saying how good he is. He looks sharp and in shape; of the quality there can be no doubt.

In the second half, he thinks England were too slow, but then they found “late acceleration” from an area Latvia didn’t expect it, Rice making a good run. And that opened the game – after that, there was more excitement.

He was happy with Rogers, who found it easier out wide, where he could get into stride and do what he does; it was harder for him in the half-spaces. He’s learning about his players all the time.

Kane tells ITV that overall they can be pleased with the two wins and two clean sheets. He says he wasn’t surprised that James scored the free-kick – in training yesterday he was hitting them with loads of top-spin.

They had to be patient, they used the wide players, and the kind of run Rice made for his goal was one they’ve been working on.

It’s a pleasure to have Tuchel as coach, the tactical analysis has been top-draw, he’s pleased to be there and they’re pleased to have him.

I can’t lie, part of me would love to see a midfield of Wharton, Bellingham and Mainoo, which I think would be the most aesthetically pleasing of the permutations, but it’ll never happen.

What do we think will be the team once Tuchel has seen everyone? Of the current back four, I think only Konsa’s place is under threat, perhaps from John Stones; in midfield, it’s Rice, Bellingham and one more, with Rogers having done enough to keep the shirt; and up front, it’s surely Saka, Kane and one more, with none of the widemen we’ve seen so far having convinced.

We should give credit to Latvia, who were disciplined and focused in defence. England, though, have a lot of work to do, and will also look better when Saka returns.

“It’s expected that he’s quality,” says Eze of James, who says he didn’t celebrate because he was surprised it went in. Eze, meanwhile is glad to contribute and looked to destabilise the defender then get his shot off. Nothing much else is said.

Neither Rogers nor James were brilliant, but both did enough to get another go. It’s also worth remembering that England could’ve picked a different XI tonight and still won; what Tuchel needs to do is find a system and identify the side which gives him the best chance of winning the biggest games.

Plus points for England: Rice’s corners, Rogers, James. I guess if the latter two become fixtures, that’ll make tonight an important staging post.

England might qualify for the World Cup, I reckon.

90+2 min England have again been acceptable: Latvia have defended well and it can be hard to break down any team that defends deep and in numbers. The balance isn’t there yet, but the biggest problems are of tempo and rhythm. They do too many things too slowly.

90 min We’re going to have three additional minutes, and in comms, Sam Matterface remembers Lord Herman Ouseley, who’d have been 80 today. What a contribution he made to our game.

90 min Latvia defend the corner at cost of another, Foden driving in; the ref blows for some kind of infringement.

89 min Now Sits is booked, for fouling Konsa; Rogers then wins a corner down the right. He’s really tying to impose himself, and I expect we’ll see more of him in Tuchel’s team.

88 min “Jude is a terrific player; maybe eventually one of the greats,” writes Ed F. “But he’s not there yet. An alternative reading of his breakout season at Madrid is similar to that of Frank Lampard: a fine player who happened to find himself in the right position in the right team at the right time to elevate himself. We’ll see. But no more talk of genius, OK?”

Bellingham isn’t a genius player, he’s a superhero player, like Bryan Robson or Steven Gerrard. That’s one reason I want him a little deeper, to get more involved in the play: I don’t think he’s someone who sees it differently, he’s “just” brilliant at doing almost everything you’d want a footballer to do.

86 min England go short then out to Eze, who caresses a lovely ball into the middle … but on which Geuhi can’t put a proper head.

85 min Melniks is immediately into the action, booked for upending Kane 40 yards out, dead centre.

83 min Again, Rice’s delivery is good but Kane misses the ball and, when it drops to Konsa at the far post, he looks to meg the keeper who gets enough undercarriage on the the shot to keep it out.

83 min England win a corner, then Lartvia bring on Melniks and Sliede for Ikaunieks and Balodis.

82 min Nice again from Rogers, who takes the ball inside off the right; he’s so explosive in the first few strides and so definitive in his actions. But when he wellies a powerful riser, it’s straight at Zviedris, who flips over the bar.

81 min We’ve not got around to Henderson yet, but is he in the squad for any kind of footballing reason, or solely because he’s “good around the camp”? The manager can pick who he wants, of course, but surely there’s got to be a better use of a space?

79 min Tuchel makes a triple-change: off go Rashford, Rice and Lewis-Skelly; on come Jones, Henderson and Walker.

78 min Rashford has had the ball in the position from which Eze started his run so many times tonight. It’s fair to say that minds and bodies will be tired now, but what Eze did that he tends not to is pick a course of action and commit to it.

77 min Now it’s Rogers running at the Latvia defence and when he reaches the edge of the box, you feel like he’s going to score. But opening his body, he passes his left-foot shot wide of the far post.

A pass down the left gets Eze one on one with Jaunzems, he dips inside, outside, shake-it-all-about-side, then skips across him and Cernomordijs before swivelling into a low shot past Zviedris at the near post – via deflection of Cernomordijs.

75 min “For me Bowen is a good sub option because he’s a terrier of a player who can harass tired defences towards the end of a match, and is a decent finisher to boot,” says Jack B. “He doesn’t have the quality to start for England, but the kind of squad-player that makes a winning team.”

I guess i feel that with the attackers England have, there’ll always be someone to bring on who gives you what he can and more.

73 min Konsa does well to head the corner, when it comes back England clear, and Rashford leads a counter, but his first touch to a pass that’s slighrly in his feet, is poor, taking him away from goal. So he checks inside to create space for Kane, backheeling him in down the line, but there are now defenders in position to kick away the low cross.

72 min Latvia counter, Sits on the ball, and Ciganiks is in space! But the pass in behind is poor, James sliding in to avert danger that ought to have been beyond him. But Latvia win a corner…

70 min I was mainly joking about Bellingham, though I would like more dominant performances from him – at international and club level. It is, though, probably the case that were he still on the pitch, Rice doesn’t make that run.

Pass over the top for Rashford and he lays infield for Rogers, who slides to the line for the onrushing Rice. Then, when the whipped square pass arrives at the back post, Kane taps in his 71st England goal. Yet again, Bellingham is the talisman!

67 min Eze looks to pick space inside the box, finds Bellingham who’s robbed, and that’s his last contribution; when Latvia run the ball into touch, he’s hooked to make sure he’s not sent off.

66 min England have been very poor since the break. “First half we were not so good, second half we were worse…”

64 min Better from England, Lewis-Skelly inverting to feed a smart pass through the lines for Bellingham, who holds then moves on to Kane – he’s been so quiet tonight – and the captain checks, created an angle for a shot, and bends a low effort wide.

63 min On Bowen, by the way, I don’t totally get it. I think he’s a really good player, but I can’t envisage a situation in which I had England’s attacking options and thought he was what I needed.

62 min Rice cross towards the penalty spot, no one can gets anything telling on it, and eventually Latvia win a free-kick and get out.

62 min Lovely feet from Rogers, who rolls one over the ball, check back the other way, leaving his man, and wins a corner from a cross that’s blocked behind.

61 min England send on Eze for Bowen; Latvia try Daskevics and Sits for Jurkovskis and Gutkovskis.

59 min Better from Rashford, who commits to going by his man and passing Ciganiks on the outside, but he hits the line, his cut-back is into the keeper’s arms. Thing is, he’s not a winger, he’s wide attacker; if England want someone to go on the outside and cross, they’re better off with Foden.

58 min I’d like a look at Eze and Gibbs-White, and we’re getting towards that time; in fact, as I type, we see the former getting ready, with Bowen the man to depart.

56 min Bellingham ploughs through Jarovskis from behind, gets a sliver of the ball, all of the man, and somehow escapes a second yellow card. Lucky.

55 min The corner comes to nowt and Latvia take ages trying to pass out before being boxed with a throw deep inside their own half.

54 min Savanieks can’t continue and, with England preparing to take a corner, is replaced by Jagodinskis.

52 min Savalnieks is hurt and off taking treatment.

52 min Gosh, poor Gutkovskis: that miss of his hasn’t aged well. In the studio, they blamed Pickford for coming when he didn’t need to – “Mind your own business,” says Roy Keane – whereas Lee Dixon said as a full-back, he’s never leaving the ball as Guehi did, he’s just dealing with it whatever the keeper does.

50 min Bellingham, down the left side of the box looks to create a hole through which he can feed a pass, but Latvia have defended well so far and shut down the spaces without too much difficulty.

48 min On Rashford and thinking about his first-half performance, too often we saw him do what we see him do too often: find space then fail to commit to a move. So he might shimmy and steal a yard, but rather than cross, pass, or shoot, he waits or tries to beat the same man again. It’s almost like he’s got the yips but it feels like a confidence thing: at his best, he doesn’t second-guess himself like that.

46 min England are immediately on to the attack; Bowen and Rashford have swapped wings. I guess this might be to get some natural width, especially as most of the dangerous situations have come from crosses and both players have the pace to go on the outside.