Miami, July 9 (IANS) England defender John Stones has revealed the story behind the dressing-room prank that left head coach Thomas Tuchel briefly fearing he had suffered a shoulder injury after England’s 3-2 victory over Mexico at the FIFA World Cup.

Speaking ahead of England’s quarterfinal against Norway, Stones admitted the joke was spontaneous, fuelled by the celebratory atmosphere inside the dressing room, and said he never expected the clip to become a social media sensation.

The now-viral footage showed Tuchel applauding with his players after the win before suddenly stopping as Stones appeared to clutch his shoulder in pain. As Declan Rice drew the coach’s attention to the defender, Tuchel looked visibly concerned, only for Stones to burst into celebration moments later as his teammates erupted in laughter.

Looking back on the moment, Stones began with another joke about his supposed injury. “It’s feeling better now, it’s feeling better – it has its ups and downs,” Stones quipped when asked about his shoulder, as quoted by BBC Sport.

The Manchester City defender explained that keeping the prank believable proved to be the hardest part, particularly because Tuchel had a genuine reason to be worried. “I tried to keep a straight face as I was doing it because I saw he [Tuchel] was concerned and thinking, ‘has he actually hurt himself?'”

The timing of the prank was especially unfortunate for the England boss. Midfielder Jordan Henderson had suffered an accidental injury moments earlier after falling while jumping over the advertising boards during the post-match celebrations, making Tuchel even more anxious when he saw Stones apparently in discomfort.

Stones acknowledged the context while explaining why the joke worked, saying, “Especially after what Hendo had just done outside, he didn’t know what was going to come, but it was good vibes in there.”

Although the clip quickly spread across social media and amassed tens of millions of views, Stones admitted he had not anticipated such a reaction. “I didn’t think it would get that much traction, to be fair.”

Stones has featured in all three of England’s World Cup matches so far, starting the opening victory over Croatia before making appearances against DR Congo and Mexico. England will next face Norway in the quarterfinals in Miami as they continue their bid for World Cup glory.

–IANS

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