Thomas Tuchel said England's final World Cup warm-up gave them a "little taste of what can happen" — and then it happened. Heavy rain and thunderstorms pushed back the kick-off against Costa Rica by an hour, to 22:00 BST in Orlando. Supporters who had already arrived at the Inter&Co Stadium were told to evacuate the stands and retreat to the concourses as lightning strikes flashed overhead.
Under rules set by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), any lightning detected within eight miles of the stadium triggers an automatic stoppage and a 30-minute countdown, which resets with each new strike. The match eventually went ahead, with Tuchel having told ITV beforehand: "It's no problem. It should not be an excuse to lose our mood or patience or to lose our hunger to play the game."
“England beat Costa Rica 3-0 after a one-hour storm delay, but fans were angered by pitchside diners.”
England won 3-0. Declan Rice opened the scoring with a deflected ninth-minute strike after smart build-up from Anthony Gordon. Gordon himself scored from the penalty spot after the break, and Ollie Watkins added a third late on. Yet the on-field performance was partly overshadowed by what happened off it. Behind Rice as he lined up a corner kick, spectators were seen sitting at pitchside tables, eating food and drinking beer.
Social media erupted. One fan posted: "Fans eating burger and fries with a beer next to the corner flag. Don't ask why the atmosphere is s**t." Another wrote: "If I had a chance as a player, I'd love to shell the ball at them and scatter the extortionate meals." A third said: "Fans sitting down eating at a table next to the corner flag. No wonder the atmosphere is rubbish."
Former Scotland defender Rachel Corsie, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, recalled her own experience of storm delays in the United States: "It happened almost every weekend. The bit I hated the most was the fuelling part and the psychology of the fuelling." Ex-England captain Steph Houghton added: "I think that wa…"
For fans watching around the world, the delay offered a warning. Scotland, for example, play Haiti on 14 June at 02:00 BST — a one-hour hold-up could mean missing the game entirely. England's group-stage kick-offs are at 21:00 and 22:00 BST, less disruptive. Tuchel, meanwhile, could still make up to four changes for the Group L opener against Croatia next week. The storm, at least, has passed.