Harry Kane opened the scoring for England in Tampa as Thomas Tuchel made an unprecedented move, changing his entire team at half‑time in the World Cup warm‑up against New Zealand.
After five days training in the Florida heat and humidity, the Three Lions took the field at Raymond James Stadium – where the pitch looked slightly tatty, with squares of turf curling at the edges. Asked about it by ITV before kick‑off, Tuchel quipped: “I haven’t been out there … we just decided that we will blame the pitch if it doesn’t go so well! … jokes aside … New Zealand trained yesterday and said it doesn’t look good but it’s playable … let’s see.”
“Harry Kane headed England in front as Thomas Tuchel changed his entire team at half-time in the World Cup warm-up against New Zealand.”
Kane’s header gave England a first‑half lead, and Tuchel used the break to field an entirely different XI in the second period: Trafford; James, Konsa, Burn, Livramento, Bellingham, Anderson, O’Reilly, Gordon, Toney, Ngumoha. The bold approach gave every squad member a chance to stake a claim before the tournament starts.
“So excited … it’s a young boy’s dream to be in this position, to represent my country in a World Cup,” Morgan Rogers, who started the first half, told ITV. “It being so close, the excitement gets bigger every day … it’s hot, as expected … we’ve got a job to do … acclimatise … get used to it and be in the best possible shape when the time comes … we’re going to have to push ourselves to the limit … strategy will be a big thing at the tournament.”
Early in the second half, England thought they had a penalty when Ivan Toney went down under a challenge, but the referee pointed to the spot before VAR checked and ruled offside – a tight call that was probably correct, according to Mirror Football’s live blog. Tuchel, watching from the sideline, was all smiles, having been given “plenty of food for thought”.
At half‑time, Roy Keane praised the England defence. “New Zealand are struggling with quality, they have shown moments of bravery, they are playing with a bit of spirit. These are good little moments from England, running back to their own goal. A good test for the England defence.”
New Zealand made a triple change in the 63rd minute, replacing Cacace, Garbett and “cumbia star” Payne with Old, Bindon and Randall. England’s first World Cup game is on June 17 against Croatia in Dallas, and Tuchel is keen to have his squad fully acclimatised by then.