Thomas Tuchel showed his hand for England’s World Cup opener against Croatia in Dallas next Wednesday, and his players hinted at what can happen when they play with intensity and slick connections. The biggest call was Jude Bellingham over Morgan Rogers in the No 10 role; Bellingham was very good, setting the tone from the first whistle by charging into his first block tackle after precisely eight seconds.
Tuchel preferred Anthony Gordon to Marcus Rashford on the left, and was rewarded with a driving performance. Other eye-catching decisions were Ezri Konsa over Marc Guéhi in central defence and Noni Madueke on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka not at 100%. The game was delayed by an hour after a downpour of biblical proportions plus thunder and lightning, but England coped well.
“Anthony Gordon stars as England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in final World Cup warm-up after storm delay.”
Declan Rice gave them an early lead, sweeping a deflected left-footed shot into the far corner after Gordon darted around Costa Rica right-back Shawn Johnson and pulled back from the byline. Gordon then hammered home a penalty, and substitute Ollie Watkins tapped in on the rebound after Rogers saw a shot saved. The paucity of the opposition had to be considered – Costa Rica barely even saw the ball – but the performance still provided encouragement for Tuchel as his side lifted confidence before the Group L opener.