Lewis-Skelly left speechless after netting England debut goal
Baku, March 22, AZERTAC
Miles Lewis-Skelly said he was "lost for words" after scoring on his England debut to help them to a 2-0 win over Albania in Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge, according to BeInSports.
The teenager opened the scoring in the first half, with Harry Kane ensuring the win in the second to send England top of their World Cup qualifying group after the first match.
Aged 18 years and 176 days, Lewis Skelly is the youngest player in history to score on his senior England debut, surpassing Marcus Rashford's record of 18 years and 209 days against Australia in May 2016.
Overall, he is the third-youngest scorer ever for the Three Lions, behind Wayne Rooney (17y 317d in September 2003) and Michael Owen (18y 164d in May 1998).
"I am lost for words," Lewis-Skelly told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"This past six months have gone so quickly. I stay in the present and I take every moment as it comes.
"I found out [he would be starting] in the morning, in the meeting, and when I saw my name my heart started to pound - I was so excited.
"Honestly, it is incredible - this is a day I'll never forget."
On his goal, he added: "All I remember is staying wide and rotating with Marcus Rashford. Jude loves to stay on the half-turn. It was a great pass from him and the timing was very good.
"The finish, the keeper was coming at me, and I tried to put it between the legs. I didn't even think I was going to score."
England were dominant throughout, enjoying 74.2% of the possession, and they also struck the crossbar through another debutant in Dan Burn, who could not keep his towering header down.
The Three Lions had 12 shots against Albania, with six on target, as they accumulated 1.58 expected goals (xG), while they limited their opponents to just three attempts (0.06 xG), with Jordan Pickford not tested.
Despite the comfortable victory in his first match in charge, Tuchel conceded he thinks England can still improve, with one eye already on their next game against Latvia on Monday.
"We can do better, we have to do better," Tuchel told ITV. "We started well; we had seven or eight minutes with 100% ball possession with a lot of passes and high energy.
"The opponent is hard to break down as they defend in a deep block.
Asked about Lewis-Skelly's impact on his debut, he added: "Amazing player. Amazing personality.
"He came into camp and showed straight away that it's normal to fall in love with him. It is well deserved."
Other news in this section
