Thomas Tuchel has admitted that England are at a 'huge disadvantage' due to the altitude in Mexico City as they prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash against the hosts at the Azteca Stadium, which sits 2,200 metres above sea level. Speaking after England's dramatic 2-1 knockout win over DR Congo, secured by a late Harry Kane brace, Tuchel said: 'It is one of the most beautiful football fixtures there is. There will be a lot of obstacles waiting for us, not least the altitude. My understanding is we cannot adapt to the altitude, that's a huge advantage for Mexico. It's physically not possible, the altitude is quite high. It's a disadvantage we will have to be ready for and I think today we showed we will have the attitude for that.'
Harry Kane rescues England with late double
Captain Harry Kane basked in his glory after rescuing England from what could have been a humiliating World Cup exit. His breathtaking late double – his 71st and 72nd goals of the season for club and country – set up a thrilling match-up against hosts Mexico at the legendary Azteca Stadium. Kane said: 'It feels amazing to be honest. What a crazy game. The keeper made some unbelievable saves. But keep going and the moments would come. Whoever it is, we have hero moments. You have to stay patient in these games. The last couple of games were very similar. The pressure is higher. But it's about being ourselves.'
Kane leads player-only huddle after victory
The Bayern Munich superstar took matters into his own hands by calling for a player-only huddle following the full-time whistle. He delivered a passionate and heartfelt speech after steering England away from what could have been their most humiliating World Cup exit in history. Kane continued: 'From an attacking point of view, it's the best performance so far. We are in the part of the tournament where we have to grind wins out. I just told the boys to enjoy it. Sometimes as an England player, you don't celebrate how you should. The same as every other nation, we're through - enjoy it. Over the 90 minutes, we're tough to handle.'
Tuchel jokes about Kane's decisive role
Meanwhile, Tuchel joked: 'It's what we expect from him! It's what he expects from himself. Difficult matches, close matches - Harry's here to decide them. Top level. If everyone gets what they like, we get an early goal, another goal, an easy afternoon. You have to deal with each situation that comes. They got a very early goal. After the water break, we had four or five opportunities. The penalty situation didn't go in our favour. We kept knocking, knocking and knocking. The reaction and belief is one of a kind. We found a way to win. Well deserved.'
Declan Rice praises Kane's lethal instinct
Declan Rice was equally full of praise for Kane's lethal instinct in front of goal, saying: 'He's going to get chances. If you give him a chance it's a goal, I think personally. I've seen it too many times. It's ridiculous the goals he scores and how he scores them. His whole mentality around scoring, 72 for the season now, it's just ridiculous, so credit to him.'
