Arsenal's youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly notched up a historic milestone in England's 2-0 win over Albania in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The 18-year-old midfielder became the youngest player to score for England on his senior debut for the Three Lions as that record was previously held by captain, Harry Kane.
Myles Lewis-Skelly notches up historic milestone in England vs Albania 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier
The dead lock was opened by England in the 20th minute while playing at the iconic Wembley stadium. Jude Bellingham had passed the midfield and threaded a perfectly weighed pass into the backline of Albania. Lewis-Skelly timed his run to perfection as he slotted the ball past the legs of Thomas Strakosha.
It was a composed finish from the Arsenal's youngster as he celebrated his first senior goal with a slide to add to the delight of the home crowd present at the Wembley. Harry Kane has been in red hot form as he scored once again in the 77th minute to kill the game for Albania.
This game also marked the start of Thomas Tuchel's reign as England's new manager, after taking over from Gareth Southgate. Tuchel would be pleased by the youngsters performance.
Thomas Tuchel wants fearless football from England
Thomas Tuchel wants the Three Lions to adopt 'a hunger to win' rather than 'a fear of lose' attitude ahead of the first game in charge of the national football team. The Three Lions will kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with their clash over Albania at Wembley.
Tuchel took over from Southgate in January and mentioned that he didn't like the way England used to play from what he observed during the 2024 Euros. While speaking to BBC, Tuchel said,
I've heard a lot that it's a heavy shirt. It is in fact not. But I know what the players mean. Watching the Euros, I felt tension and pressure on the shoulders of the players and they were playing not to lose.
I want us to play with excitement and the hunger and desire to win...and the acceptance of failure is part of it, especially in football, he added.
Under Gareth Southgate, England managed to reach two consecutive finals at European Championships, but his tactics were always questioned as they were conservative. Even captain Harry Kane wanted the team to push for a trophy and said,
Early on in Gareth's reign, we spoke about getting to semi-finals, getting to finals, and keep repeating that. We are kind of at that stage now and now it's about winning something.
Tuchel wasted no time in reshaping the squad since he took the job. Marcus Rashford returns to the squad after his impressive loan stint at Aston Villa and Jordan Henderson was also called for the International duties. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn were called up for the first time and both of them made their senior-debut against Albania.