Thomas Tuchel's Frustration at National Anthem Photography

Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, not because of tactics or a missed chance, but because a moment he had dreamed of since childhood was, in his eyes, spoiled by a wall of cameras.

The Germany coach revealed that he could barely see his own players during the national anthem, with a bank of photographers blocking his view at the touchline.

"I have to tell you something. I'm begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team," Tuchel said, his irritation clear. "It was a very special moment, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers and I could not see one single player.

"It ruined a little bit my experience. It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion."

For a coach who has climbed from the lower tiers of German football to the elite of the international game, the anthem is not a formality. It is the emotional crest of the night, the second when the noise swells, the cameras flash, and a manager finally stands alongside his country on the biggest stage.

Tuchel expected to drink it in. Instead, he found himself staring at lenses and tripods.

His plea to FIFA is simple: move the photographers back, at least for those few minutes before kick-off, so that the people on the benches can actually see the players they are leading.

On nights like this, when a coach finally reaches the stage he once thought was “too big to dream of,” he does not want to remember the backs of photographers. He wants to remember his team.