England secures 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in World Cup warm-up
England delivered an impressive 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in their final World Cup warm-up match, though the players had to wait around for a bit first, reports BritPanorama.
Storms in Orlando forced the kick-off back by an hour, with rain and lightning keeping Thomas Tuchel’s squad stuck in the dressing room. Once they finally got going, it was well worth the wait.
The Three Lions put in a bright, energetic display against the 53rd-ranked Costa Ricans, who barely troubled Jordan Pickford throughout the match. It’s exactly the kind of confident performance England needed heading into their tournament opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June.
Declan Rice wasted no time making his mark, finding the net just nine minutes in with a deflected strike that nestled into the corner. It was his seventh goal for England, and rather remarkable given he’d only been training for a couple of days following the Champions League final. Anthony Gordon deserves plenty of credit for the opener, bursting down the left flank to leave defender Shawn Johnson completely beaten.
Johnson was later booked for chopping down the new Barcelona signing, who looked confident throughout the match. Jude Bellingham also made a statement about his World Cup ambitions, starting in the number 10 role ahead of Morgan Rogers. The Real Madrid midfielder was brilliant from the off, sprinting to close down an opponent within eight seconds of kick-off.
Bellingham cleverly threaded a gorgeous pass through to Noni Madueke, who rounded goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira but could only hit the post. England’s second came after 68 minutes when Joseph Peraza handled in the box, and Gordon smashed the penalty into the top corner. Ollie Watkins wrapped things up three minutes from time, nodding home from close range after the keeper could only parry Rogers’ effort.
It was Watkins’ seventh England goal, giving the scoreline a fitting look given how dominant Tuchel’s side had been all evening. The manager made six substitutions in the 63rd minute, with Bukayo Saka coming on to finish as captain despite not being fully fit in training. England now heads back to Palm Beach before a closed-doors practice match against fourth-tier Miami FC.
Then it’s off to Kansas, where the real business begins against Croatia at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. In a future where the stakes have never been higher, England seem to be striking the right notes ahead of their World Cup campaign, but as always, the question remains: can they translate this promise into lasting success on the pitch?
