In the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, England defeated Mexico 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. After the match, England coach Thomas Tuchel attended the press conference and answered questions from reporters.

Thomas, I'm Sami Mokbel from the BBC. I'd like to ask about how the team "found a way to win" tonight by gritting their teeth, and whether you can provide an update on Jordan Henderson's injury. Will he have to stay in Mexico for treatment tonight? Thank you.
“Thank you. Yes, I have very mixed emotions right now. I am incredibly proud of the players' mentality and attitude. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches in the FIFA World Cup are games where you have to find a way to win. Tonight, we relied on pure mental fortitude and a big heart, and we overcame every obstacle that appeared in front of us. I am truly proud of this team's willpower and desire to win. This is a very, very special night for us.”
“But at the same time, I also have mixed feelings because I am not only physically exhausted but also emotionally up and down, especially because Jordan Henderson is injured. He has a wrist injury and has been sent to the hospital. It is quite a serious injury, and on a night like this, it feels so incongruous that Jordan cannot be with us. I don't know the specific treatment plan yet. I have been busy with the press conference, and the team doctor just told me that he has gone to the hospital.”
Hi, Thomas. I'm Mike Keegan from the Daily Mail. It's 5:15 AM here in England now. What would you like to say to the fans who stayed up all night watching the game at home? Also, how far do you think England can go in this tournament?
“I just want to say thank you. If you stayed up to watch the game and sent us energy, I sincerely thank you. If anyone thinks we don’t feel the support of the fans, that would be completely wrong; we feel it 100%. There is so much to love about this team. The fans should continue to push us forward, keep pushing us forward, and we are now going full throttle. We have two days to recover, and we will use this energy to keep fighting and stay in the FIFA World Cup.”
Hi, Thomas. I'm Matt Law from The Daily Telegraph. For many of us who have covered England for a long time, tonight's result and the heroic performance of the players can be described as one of the greatest games we have ever witnessed. Where does this game rank in your coaching career? In addition, what can this victory bring to the team's future progress?
“In the pre-match preparation, it never felt like just a Round of 16 match. Even now, it still doesn't feel that way. It almost feels like we won a final. When the referee finally put the whistle in his mouth and blew the final whistle, you knew you had made it through. In the demanding high-altitude conditions, against a strong host team in Mexico, we played with one man down for the last 40 to 50 minutes. That moment was pure joy. It was truly a heroic performance, and it brought a heroic result.”
“I am so happy for the players. This is definitely the highest level of my coaching career. Of course, for me personally, to be a part of it, to experience this country over the past two days, and to see the people in the streets along the way to the stadium—these moments are so special. Overcoming difficulties in the face of so much adversity makes it all so special, and this will hold a very, very special place in all of our hearts.”
Hi, Mr. Tuchel. I'm Josh Sandoval from Fox Sports Mexico. After this match, could you briefly summarize Mexico's performance, their strengths, and the weaknesses they exposed or the things they did poorly?
“Very strong, this is a very strong team. We started with a fierce attack. I still feel there was a disconnect between our tactical performance on the field and the level we should have played at, especially throughout the first half. I think we performed better in the second half, but then we received a red card.”
“I think Mexico plays very fluidly. They have so many positional rotations; everyone cuts inside into the middle and infiltrates the defensive gaps with great confidence. They turn in those spaces and then release their speed. Defensively, we were still a bit overprotective, which did not work well against this Mexico team. So we had to overcome some difficult moments, especially in the first 20 minutes and throughout the first half. I want to pay tribute to the opponent; we played against a strong team in an amazing stadium, in an amazing country.”
“To be honest, I even feel a little sad to see you eliminated, because today and yesterday, from the bus window, I saw the passion and emotion ignited in all the people on both sides of the streets. But of course, I am incredibly proud of my team and of our achievement in returning to the quarterfinals.”
Thomas, over here. I'm Sam Wallace from The Daily Telegraph. This was a game in which you had to make a lot of adjustments. Tactically, the red card obviously changed the situation, but you had adopted a different approach from the beginning. Can you walk us through those adjustments? Because in the final stages of the game, you were effectively absorbing pressure, and you completely trusted your players to withstand it.
“At high altitude, against a team that was going all out, and playing with one man down for 50 minutes, we had no other choice but to absorb the pressure. We were two goals up, then conceded a very, very soft penalty due to VAR, and then suffered another setback.”
“Before we scored, we played in a 4-3-2 formation. Then we scored, immediately conceded a penalty, and Mexico basically pushed everyone forward, so we defended in a 5-3-1 formation until the end. After that, there were no tactical adjustments, only personnel rotations. I must repeat and emphasize this again: the attitude and tactical awareness of our substitutes were at an incredibly high level.”
Hi, Thomas. Simon Peach from the Press Association. I wanted to ask about Quansah's situation. I imagine he must be very frustrated at the moment. How is he in the dressing room?
“Well, right now we are celebrating. We are celebrating while also thinking about Jordan Henderson. Of course, as for Quansah, this is also crazy; we have lost another right-back. During the game, I never expected this action to turn out like this. The referee didn’t even blow for a foul at the time. The referee obviously also thought it was just a tough tackle, and he thought the game could continue.”
“However, VAR intervened and made a decision. As usual, I only saw the freeze frame on the screen. When you see a freeze frame, you know the outcome. It is impossible to make a fair judgment in a football match based solely on a still image; it is simply impossible, but they did it to us.”
“So, Quansah is, of course, very frustrated. Yes, it was a disappointing and serious blow because we had good momentum in the game at that time. In my opinion, it was not enough for VAR to overturn the referee's initial decision, and the same goes for that penalty. But it doesn't matter; this is football, and it is what it is.”
Thank you, Thomas. I'm Tony Alexis from Santiago Football Network. After playing against Mexico in Mexico City, what are the biggest insights and lessons that you, as head coach, and your team are taking away?
“Of course, there are many lessons to take from a purely technical and tactical football perspective. But the biggest insight is that this team has a big heart, strong mental will, and unique cohesion. I think our fans here and back in England will be incredibly proud, and I believe they are very proud now. None of this would be possible if you weren’t a truly united collective, if you weren’t tightly bound together by the right spirit. We made the impossible possible against all odds, and we are very proud of that.”
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