England manager Thomas Tuchel has criticised the home crowd following England’s 3-0 victory over Wales at Wembley, claiming the atmosphere failed to reflect his team’s dominant performance.
The Three Lions stormed to an early lead with goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka inside the opening 20 minutes. Despite the electric start, large sections of the 90,000-seat stadium remained empty, while the 7,000 travelling Welsh fans were the most vocal presence throughout the match.
After the friendly, Tuchel told *ITV Sport*: “We could have been 5-0 up at half-time. The stadium was silent. We didn’t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win.”
When asked whether he expected more from the fans, Tuchel replied: “Yes. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn’t let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it’s sad because the team deserved more support today.”
The German manager later acknowledged that England’s travelling fans had been exceptional in previous fixtures, particularly in Serbia. “I love English football fans and the support they give,” he said. “But the atmosphere did not match the performance on the field today. We will have top support in Latvia, we had excellent support in Serbia. But today, we were 3-0 up after 20 minutes, we had ball win after ball win, and I felt, ‘why is the roof still on the stadium?’”
Tuchel, who took charge of England in January, has enjoyed an impressive start with six wins from his first seven matches. England currently sit at the top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group with 15 points and three games remaining.
The Three Lions could secure qualification with a win in Latvia on Tuesday, provided Serbia fail to defeat Albania and Andorra in their upcoming fixtures.
Wales, meanwhile, face a tougher path. Manager Craig Bellamy’s side remain third in their qualifying group with 10 points—level with Belgium and just one point behind leaders North Macedonia—as they prepare to host Belgium in their next match.
