The Albany Gazette - Tuchel wanted to eat grass after England's World Cup win in Mexico

Tuchel's side beat the World Cup co-hosts 3-2 in Mexico City despite playing with 10 men after Jarell Quansah's dismissal in a dramatic last-16 tie in July.

England's defiant display in a raucous atmosphere at the Azteca was the stand-out moment of World Cup campaign that ended in the frustration of a semi-final defeat against Argentina.

Tuchel said beating Mexico with a heroic defensive performance created a bond between himself and the players.

The German was so delighted by the experience that he had considered taking a bite out of the Azteca turf.

"I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, I regret that I didn't eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever. That was the feeling. That was the moment," he said.

Tuchel felt the spirit of the England squad was evident after the Mexico game when midfielder Jordan Henderson landed awkwardly vaulting over an advertising hoarding during the celebrations and broke his arm.

"This game had so much of what you could wish for," Tuchel told former England striker Daniel Sturridge in an interview for the Football Association.

"If you needed any proof of what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm.

"Within a second, the players were there. Every single player was there stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan – not going nowhere, in full empathy. It was just so special."

Tuchel hopes to carry that spirit into qualifying for Euro 2028, a tournament that will be co-hosted by England.

"It created a huge bond to these players. It feels like they are my players now. This is the beauty of it," he said.

"You have success and you have painful moments together, but you have so much time together and then you create a natural bond.

"So I'm happy to see them. I'm happy to challenge them, happy to push them, and very proud to be a part of that."

England return to action later this month when they host world champions Spain in the UEFA Nations League.

They also travel to Croatia and play the Czech Republic home and away during the upcoming international break.

Tuchel, who is due to name his squad on Friday, believes England are capable of finally ending their long wait for a first trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

"I'm very excited. I think we got another step closer and I think we're there," he said.

"It's very difficult to prepare for a World Cup in the US, but I think it's possible to prepare for a Euros and we prepare in Nations League Tier One."

(O.Garcia--TAG)