Tuchel admits he wanted to eat the Azteca turf after beating Mexico at the World Cup

Some wins get celebrated with a hug, others you want to hold onto forever, even in your own body. That's literally what Thomas Tuchel admitted about England's win over Mexico at the 2026 World Cup: he would have liked to rip up a handful of grass from the Estadio Azteca and eat it, just to carry something physical away from that night.

The round of 16 match finished 3-2 in England's favor in Mexico City, and it was no ordinary win. England played much of the match with ten men and still came away with the victory over the host nation. For Tuchel, in his own words, it was one of his team's best performances away from home.

England's run at that World Cup ended in the disappointment of a semifinal exit, but that night in Mexico stood apart from everything else. So much so that the manager himself admitted the almost irrational urge he felt when the final whistle blew.

I sent a message to a friend after the game and wrote: "I regret not eating some grass after the match to keep something of this in my body forever." That was the feeling. That was the moment.Thomas Tuchel

Henderson's broken arm and his teammates' shield

But what really stuck with Tuchel wasn't the result, it was what happened afterward. In the middle of the celebrations, Jordan Henderson fell awkwardly jumping over an advertising board and broke his arm. Right there, according to the manager, something happened that mattered more than any scoreline.

He told the story to former England striker Daniel Sturridge in an interview for the FA: "This game had a lot of what you could wish for." He then went further, describing how the group reacted.

If any proof was needed of what that meant to these players and how they supported each other, it was the moment Jordan went down and broke his arm. Within a second, the players were there. Every single one of them came over, stopped the celebrations, formed a shield, protected Jordan, nobody moved from that spot, showing total empathy. It was something really special.Thomas Tuchel

That moment, Tuchel says, sealed something between him and his squad. "A huge bond was created with these players," he said. "I feel like they're my players now. That's the beauty of all this." He added that spending so much time together, through both the good and the painful, naturally builds that kind of bond, one he now wants to draw on for what's ahead.

Eyes on Euro 2028

With the World Cup now behind them, England return to action later this month hosting world champions Spain in the Nations League. They will also travel to Croatia and face the Czech Republic both home and away in the next international break. Tuchel will announce his squad this Friday.

The manager sounded upbeat about the process: "I'm really excited. I think we've taken another step forward and that we're on the right path." He also gave a clear rundown of what was achieved in the United States: eight wins, one draw and one painful defeat across ten matches played. "It's a good foundation to build on," he said, before setting his immediate sights on the four Nations League fixtures still to come.