Rain and lightning pushed kick-off back an hour in Orlando, leaving England’s players fiddling with their phones in the dressing room, waiting for the green light. When it finally came, Thomas Tuchel’s side delivered a bright, energetic performance against a weak Costa Rica team, with Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins confirming a comfortable 3-0 win in their final World Cup 2026 preparation.
Rice, returning from his extended break after the Champions League final, opened the scoring early, set up by Gordon. The Barcelona new boy then fired a second-half penalty after Eberechi Eze’s shot was handled, giving him a goal and an assist in the same match. It was Gordon’s third England goal, all from 12 yards – a testament to his determination to be the main character. “He saw an opening. He had the self-belief; some would say the greed,” noted The Independent, recalling his dispute with Kieran Trippier over a spot kick at Newcastle.
“Anthony Gordon scores and assists as England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in storm-delayed World Cup warm-up.”
Gordon’s penalty came only after Harry Kane had departed, but the Merseysider stepped forward despite other options like Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka. The performance may have reversed the pecking order on the left flank, with Gordon preferred in the starting XI over Marcus Rashford, who had impressed against New Zealand days earlier. “Left wing has been shaping up as one of Thomas Tuchel’s biggest decisions,” reported The Independent. “Gordon looked intent on making it for him.”
Jude Bellingham and Kane combined brilliantly, while midfielder Elliot Anderson proved why Manchester City are desperate to sign him, according to The Sun. Tuchel made no changes until the 63rd minute, when he brought on six substitutes, including Watkins who added the third goal. Despite the strong team, four positions are still up for grabs ahead of the Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, where the roof will be closed. “There will definitely be other issues over the coming weeks, weather-wise,” noted The Sun, as England later head to Kansas, an area with the second-highest number of tornadoes per year in the United States.
Even as the sprinklers came on both before and after the warm-ups in the atrocious conditions, the sun made a brief appearance just before the first drinks break. Tuchel now has plenty to think about, with Marc Guehi still fancying his chances of starting ahead of Ezri Konsa. For Gordon, however, the message was clear: he is ready for the main stage.