Internationals
England 3 – 0 Costa Rica FT
England stepped up a gear in their final friendly before the World Cup with an impressive performance to beat Costa Rica in Orlando.
After kick-off was delayed for an hour by storms, Declan Rice gave England an early lead with a deflected shot as he took advantage of good work by new Barcelona signing Anthony Gordon.
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Jude Bellingham started ahead of Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role and looked sharp as he pressed his claim to start in the team’s World Cup opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June.
Bellingham put Noni Madueke through in the first half, only for the Arsenal forward to hit the post after rounding Costa Rica keeper Patrick Sequeira when he looked sure to find an empty net.
Real Madrid man Bellingham’s brilliant run then helped England find a second goal after 68 minutes, when he set up substitute Eberechi Eze for a shot that was handled – Gordon scoring the resulting penalty.
Ollie Watkins came off the bench and pounced with a close-range header three minutes from the end to give England a victory margin that reflected their dominance.
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England will now have a behind-closed-doors game against Miami FC to give some players extra minutes and work on strategy before the serious business starts against Croatia.
England analysis: Perfect workout for Tuchel’s side
A pre-match storm briefly led to a flooded pitch, but England’s day soon brightened up [Getty Images]
England’s first friendly after arriving in the United States had been little more than a glorified training session when New Zealand were beaten 1-0 in Tampa on Saturday.
Costa Rica, in contrast, provided the perfect opposition as England stepped up to another level.
This was exactly the sort of workout head coach Thomas Tuchel wanted as he finalises plans for the World Cup opener against Croatia.
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England faced durable opposition who were determined to give the game a competitive edge with uncompromising tackling and stubborn defence.
And Tuchel will also have been delighted with how players who are effectively fighting for their places showed determination to make an impression.
Gordon was lively from the first whistle, making Rice’s goal and giving Costa Rica defender Shawn Johnson a torrid time. He also took responsibility for the second-half penalty that sealed victory with regular taker Harry Kane having been substituted.
Bellingham showed the sort of world-class touches that will make it difficult for Tuchel to leave him out, while defender John Stones got another 63 minutes under his belt to put himself in contention to start against Croatia.
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Tuchel can carry out final tweaks in that private game against Miami FC before he makes selection decisions that really matter as England’s World Cup gets under way.
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