Thunderstorms rolling across Orlando forced England’s final World Cup warm-up to be delayed by an hour, with fans evacuated from the stands at Inter&Co Stadium to avoid lightning strikes. A message on the big screen told supporters to seek shelter as heavy rain and thunderstorms pushed kick-off from 21:00 BST to 22:00 BST.
“We were aware of that before – now we experience it,” head coach Thomas Tuchel told ITV before the game. “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 an hour-long storm delay, with Tuchel now facing big selection decisions.”
The delay followed recommendations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: if any lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium, the game must stop, and a mandatory 30-minute countdown begins, resetting with each subsequent strike. England, who had already been warned about potential weather disruptions, coped better than many feared.
Once underway, Tuchel’s side started slowly but soon took control. Declan Rice opened the scoring after good work from Anthony Gordon in the first half. Gordon doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the second period, after Eberechi Eze’s strike hit an opponent’s elbow. Ollie Watkins capped a dominant outing by tapping in after Aston Villa team-mate Morgan Rogers’ shot from distance was saved.
Bukayo Saka came off the bench after Tuchel had highlighted an injury concern for the Arsenal star, offering a boost ahead of the tournament. The German coach will have a further opportunity to assess his squad in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday against Miami FC.
“It might not be the worst thing to experience,” former Scotland defender Rachel Corsie told BBC Radio 5 Live. “My experience when I played in America it happened almost every weekend. The bit I hated the most was the fuelling part and the psychology of the fuelling.”
Roy Keane said Tuchel will be pleased with the performance, but selection dilemmas remain. Jude Bellingham started and “might have done enough to give Tuchel confidence in his position,” while Gordon’s display creates a tough choice between him and Marcus Rashford.
England now turn their attention to the World Cup opener against Croatia, with Tuchel knowing his team for the Miami friendly will be made up of players who featured less prominently against Costa Rica. After that, it’s the real thing.