Thomas Tuchel makes remarkable statement: 'I regret not eating some grass'

Thomas Tuchel made a remarkable statement in the documentary Reflections: England's World Cup Journey. The England manager is frustrated that after the World Cup match against Mexico he did not eat a piece of grass from the pitch.

The documentary revisits England's World Cup campaign this summer. In the end, the country finished third after beating France 4-6 in the third-place play-off.

Among the most remarkable matches was the last-16 tie against Mexico. England were 1-2 up when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card. It then became 1-3, but Mexico fought back to 2-3. A tense finale followed, but England held on.

Looking back on that match, Tuchel speaks with affection. "After the match I sent a message to a friend, in which I wrote: 'I regret not eating some grass afterwards, so that I would always have something of this moment in my body'," he says.

"This match had everything. And if you still needed proof of what this meant to the players and how they dealt with each other, it was the moment Jordan fell and broke his arm."

He is referring to the moment when Jordan Henderson fell over the advertising boards after the match and therefore broke his arm. "Within a second the players were there. They stopped celebrating the victory and formed a protective circle around Jordan. It was so special..."

Following the win over Mexico, England were also too strong for Norway in the quarter-finals: 1-2. In the semi-final, England lost to Argentina, after which they still took bronze.