Lewis-Skelly Makes History on Debut as Tuchel’s England Triumphs Over Albania in World Cup Qualifier

Thomas Tuchel’s tenure as England manager commenced with an impressive victory at Wembley, as Myles Lewis-Skelly netted his first international goal, leading the Three Lions to a 2-0 triumph over Albania in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Having reached the Euro 2024 final just eight months prior, the Three Lions aimed to usher in a new chapter under Tuchel with a strong performance on familiar ground.

England swiftly took control of the match, and their bright start was rewarded in the 20th minute, when Jude Bellingham’s perfectly-weighted pass found Lewis-Skelly, who slotted a low shot between the legs of Thomas Strakosha.

With this goal, the Arsenal player made history as the youngest individual to score on his senior debut for the Three Lions.

As Albania began to find their footing later in the half, England remained the more dangerous side in the attacking third, with Bellingham seeing a close-range effort well saved by Strakosha.

The hosts continued to push for a second goal as half-time approached; however, Berat Djimsiti made a crucial block to thwart a shot from Harry Kane, while Dan Burn’s powerful header struck agonisingly against the crossbar.

Thankful to still be trailing by just one goal, the visitors showed increased defensive resilience at the start of the second half, restricting Tuchel’s team to very few clear scoring opportunities.

Kane flicked a difficult header wide of the far post, marking the closest England came to doubling their lead as the game ticked into the final 20 minutes, during which Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, and Morgan Rogers were all introduced into the action.

The crucial second goal arrived in the 77th minute when Kane elegantly controlled a delivery from Declan Rice before finishing clinically into the bottom corner, marking his 70th international goal.

This moment of brilliance from the England captain effectively sealed the contest, allowing the Three Lions to comfortably navigate the closing stages and stretch their unbeaten record against Albania to seven matches.

Catch up on the match statistics here.