Thomas Tuchel warns England will be ‘punished’ if they dare look past DR Congo

By Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football Writer, New York New Jersey

Thomas Tuchel warned England will be “punished” if the World Cup contenders dare look beyond their knockout date with DR Congo.

The back-to-back European Championship finalists wrapped up top spot in Group L with Saturday’s 2-0 win over already-eliminated Panama at MetLife Stadium.

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck as England avoided a tougher-looking route through the knockout stages and set up a tie against a third-placed side, with DR Congo later confirmed as Wednesday’s round-of-32 opponent in Atlanta.

A mouth-watering meeting with co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca could follow next Sunday, but Tuchel would not entertain any talk about the pathway and potential opponents.

“It’s possible, but there’s a match, no? And there is only one match that we can focus on and that is the next match,” the England boss said.

“If we get carried away and start talking and thinking about possible round of 16, we will just get punished.

“We have a difficult, difficult match coming up in four days. I understand your question and would love to talk about it, but no, we need to stay focused.

“There is only one match in four days. It’s not Mexico, it’s not in Mexico, it’s in Atlanta and we need to be ready for that.”

DR Congo are 41st in the FIFA world rankings and sealed their progress with a 3-1 comeback win against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.

England will likely have to break down another low block after struggling to get going against Panama, having failed to hurt Ghana in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw, but Tuchel is confident the team will grow into the tournament.

“The first match felt almost like a knockout football match,” he said, reflecting on their thrilling 4-2 win against Croatia. “The intensity in the second half and the tension that suddenly grew.

“(On Saturday) when you see the result and you are suddenly in a moment when you are second in the group because Croatia scored (against Ghana in the other Group L game), it also brings out this feeling.

“But it was good to see these moments. We can just trust and rely on our players. They are used to these moments.

“They play Champions League until the very end, they play Europa League until the very end. They know what it takes. We have strong belief and we have trust.

“We know what need to get better and we will get better. There’s no problem in putting the work in and growing into a tournament like this with difficult opponents and difficult moments to overcome. No problem.

“It’s important now that we keep believing, that we keep focusing on what we can influence and where we can improve.

“Every game will be a different game. There are so many different styles and cultures of football. The most important thing is to not be afraid. To be brave, courageous and go step by step.”