Demanding Tuchel makes his feelings clear after winning first game in charge of England

Thomas Tuchel kicked off his England reign with a 2-0 win against Albania at Wembley Stadium on Friday and immediately demanded more from his players.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane ensured a winning start for Tuchel in the World Cup qualifier but the German coach sounded far from satisfied with his first game in charge.

"(We) can do better. We have to do better," Tuchel said.

He added the team was too slow in the second half and lacked aggression in attack.

Tuchel became the 11th straight England manager to win on his debut. But his frank assessment of the performance was evidence of the standards he wants to set after being charged with ending the team’s decades-long wait for a major trophy.

His first job is to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico and this was a straight forward win for No. 4-ranked England in its first qualifier.

England dominated possession and chances against 65th-ranked Albania.

It took 20 minutes for the first goal of the Tuchel era and it was delivered by debutant Lewis-Skelly, who became the youngest player to score on his first England appearance at 18 years, 176 days. He was younger by 33 days than Marcus Rashford was against Australia in May 2016.

Kane added a record-extending 70th England goal in the 77th.

Tuchel is the third foreign coach to take charge of England after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson, a Swede, and Fabio Capello, an Italian.

His appointment last October was greeted with outrage in some sections of the English media, likely due to England's longstanding rivalry with Germany. He said last week he would not sing the national anthem, explaining he had to “earn” the right to join in with “God Save the King.” He stayed silent while the anthem was played before the game.

He was warmly greeted by fans, with one banner inside the stadium reading: “Welcome to the home of football, Thomas.”

Ultimately, he will be judged on results and whether he can end England's search for a first trophy since the World Cup in 1966. Tuchel has told the players it is his job to add a second star above the national badge, which represents the number of World Cups won.

He has big shoes to fill in replacing former manager Gareth Southgate, who led England to back to back finals in the European Championship and the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup.

Tuchel is a far more decorated coach than Southgate, having been a serial winner with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, with league titles and the Champions League on his resume.

Only so much can be drawn from his first game but Lewis-Skelly was a clear positive in his goal-scoring debut. The left back fired through the legs of Albania goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha after Jude Bellingham's incisive pass.

Another debutant Dan Burn hit the bar with a header in the first half.

England lacked penetration after the break, but Kane swivelled and fired low into the corner.

“I had clear ideas on what we wanted to do, how we wanted to play and tried to stick to them as much as possible,” Bellingham said. “We had a really good week of training and a good win to start the new era.”

England tops Group K on goal difference and plays second-placed Latvia, which beat Andorra 1-0, at Wembley on Monday.

Poland and Finland made winning starts in Group G.

Robert Lewandowski's goal in the 81st sealed a 1-0 win for Poland at home to Lithuania, while Finland also won 1-0 against 10-man Malta.

Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Romania 1-0 in Group H, which was topped by Cyprus after a 2-0 win against San Marino.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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England's Harry Kane and his teammates applaud to fans at the end of a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Myles Lewis-Skelly celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

England's Harry Kane scores his side's second goal during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England coach Thomas Tuchel gestures during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Harry Kane challenges for the ball with Albania's Ylber Ramadani during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Harry Kane heads the ball during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Spectators display a welcome banner for England coach Thomas Tuchel during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Myles Lewis-Kelly celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England coach Thomas Tuchel watches on the bench during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a World Cup qualifying soccer match between England and Albania at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians could call abroad on mobile phones Tuesday for the first time since communications were halted during a crackdown on nationwide protests in which activists said at least 646 people have been killed.

Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said SMS text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.

The witnesses gave a brief glimpse into life on the streets of the Iranian capital over the four and a half days of being cut off from the world. They described seeing a heavy security presence in central Tehran.

Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers. They stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.

Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. ATMs had been smashed and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.

However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Many remain concerned about a possible military strike by the U.S., even as President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington.

“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave just his first name out of concerns for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”

Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests also remain front of mind for many.

“People — particularly young ones — are hopeless but they talk about continuing the protests," he said.

Meanwhile, it appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in their homes and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.

State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”

It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.

Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.

Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)