Wonderball! Tuchel hails fans for sending ‘energy’ to help England beat Mexico... but now for the hangover
England boss Thomas Tuchel has thanked England fans for staying up all night to watch the side beat Mexico in an astonishing World Cup victory.
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After the Three Lions advanced to the quarter finals where they will face Norway, Tuchel told fans: “I just want to say thank you , if you stayed up and sent us your energy thank you.
“Because if they think we don’t feel it, we feel it one hundred per cent.”
He went on: “There is so much to love about this team, they should just keep pushing, pushing and pushing.
“My emotions are very mixed I am just proud of the mentality and the attitude.
“The round of 32, round of 16 is the moment in a tournament when you find a way to win. We overcame every obstacle that was thrown at us.”
England secured victory against Mexico having played most of the second half with 10 men. The final whistle after 11 minutes of injury time saw pints being thrown through the air, people being lifted onto friends' shoulders, and almighty cheers ringing out from England supporters worldwide and DJ’s putting on the unofficial theme of the World Cup, Wonderwall.
Goosebumps. pic.twitter.com/Abq2ntGTpz
— England (@England) July 6, 2026
Supporters packed out hundreds of bars and pubs for the late-night clash after the Government extended opening hours to 5am on Monday, with beers flying into the air at the final whistle following 11 minutes of added time.
Employers are now braced for supporters to pull a 'mass sickie'.
Companies have been warned to expect a productivity hit as Britain prepares for the 'mother of all Mondays' recovering from the night before.
With the game wrapped up shortly after 4am, millions of people have pulled an exhausting all-nighter and are expected to be absent from work and school on Monday.
One fan said: "I think it's stupid not to take the day off, unless you work from home."
Harry Becks, 27, from Ruislip, west London, also said there's 'no chance' he will go to work on Monday, adding: "I already booked the day off."
Even Jude Bellingham, when asked for his message to supporters back home after the match, said: “Text your bosses and tell them you’re not coming in, simple as that.”
He added: “Kids stay off school, parents don’t go to work, enjoy your day, have the day off if you can, these nights don’t come often.”
But parents were urged to get their children to school by a Government minister, who said it was “important to learn that resilience” of getting through the day tired.
Early education minister Olivia Bailey said that every day of school mattered, even if they are “a bit sleepy” after watching England’s late-night World Cup clash with Mexico.
“I would absolutely encourage kids to get themselves into school this morning," she said.
The drama began early when forecasted thunderstorms struck around the Azteca stadium on Sunday evening UK time, eventually causing the kick-off to be delayed by an hour to 2am over risk of lightning strikes.
The game picked up where the weather left off, with England playing much of the second-half with 10 men after defender Jarell Quansah was sent off for a high tackle following a VAR review, while both sides were awarded penalties.
The Prince of Wales wrote in a social media post: “Well done England! Bring on the quarter final!”
And two-goal hero Jude Bellingham, when asked for his message to supporters back home after the match, said: “Text your bosses and tell them you’re not coming in, simple as that.”
Meanwhile MPs around the country were also up late to watch England triumph.
In a post on X, Labour MP Stella Creasy quipped: “I have no idea how I do the school run this morning after a red card and a penalty… Like having had ten espressos and a red bull chaser…”
Reform MP Robert Jenrick added: “So proud of this England team. Heroes, each and every one of them.”
The occasion also seemed to get to England captain Harry Kane, whose second-half penalty proved crucial, after he struggled to speak when being interviewed after the game.
His efforts in the match even caught the attention of US President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social: “Harry Kane of England is a GREAT player!!!”
Ecstatic England fans spontaneously broke out into Sweet Caroline at Boxpark Wembley in north-west London, with people jumping into the air and Co2 cannons blasting white fog in celebration.
Similar scenes occurred at fan parks in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle with confetti flying as shirtless fans embraced each other.
At Wembley, Ollie, 29, who did not want to disclose his surname, joked he would be “very ill” in a few hours when he needed to go to work.
“Luckily my manager is also ill,” he said. “The win was a long time coming.”
Co-hosts Mexico had only lost only two of their previous 89 competitive games at the Estadio Azteca, which lies more than 2,200 metres above sea level.
Outside the ground after the match, England fan Stuart Pearce, 62, described the matches as “one of the best games ever”.
He said: “When the Mexicans came out the whole thing vibrated – it was a great atmosphere, all the Mexicans were really friendly.
“We’ve not had one bit of trouble – the Mexicans are so friendly that one even bought us a train ticket today.”
His son Liam, 29, from Wiltshire, said the stadium was “unbelievable.”
“We sat amongst the Mexicans which was a bit terrifying to start with, but as soon as that first goal went in it was fine.
“The performances aren’t great but the best teams never play well throughout the tournament, so we’ll see.”
Sam Holroyd, 21, from Leeds, said his nerves were “bad, really bad”.
“I’ve watched Leeds and I’ve not had it worse than that. The altitude got to me when they scored the penalty.”
His friend Owen Wilson, 23, from Doncaster said: “It’s cost us a lot of money to come out here but worth every penny.
“I think we’ll win it, I do. I think we’ll win the tournament.
Ersan Beskardes, 30, from Bournemouth, was struggling with his voice after the match.
He said: “For the full 90 minutes we were there, shouting and screaming, giving it large, but we pulled through in the end.
“For the last 10 minutes, I’m not going to lie… my heart rate was up there. But we got there in the end.
“Ninety-five per cent of the time they’ve (the Mexican fans) been unreal, the little five per cent, there were a lot of pints thrown down at us. But it was all good in the end.”
England will now face Norway on Saturday in the quarter-final after the Scandinavian side defeated Brazil 2-1, but Matt Simmons, 30 from Portsmouth was already looking beyond that.
“We pulled a blinder, didn’t we? Absolutely smashed it tonight. Sensational,” he said.
“We’re going to bring it home – on the flight home, we’re going to get a nice couple of bottles of Champagne.”
The weather delay followed days of speculation around the potential impact of storms.
Fifa previously decided against moving the game forward by six hours to avoid disruption following talks with both the Mexican and English football associations.