England stun Costa Rica 3-0 in Tuchel test

England 3-0 – England overcame a dramatic weather build-up in Orlando to beat Costa Rica 3-0 in a dominant World Cup warm-up. Thomas Tuchel used the final stretch to tinker, moving Jude Bellingham into a centre-forward role late on and setting up Eberechi Eze for a penalty

A storm in tropical Orlando tried to steal the build-up from England before the ball was even kicked. Roads flooded. At least one building was struck by lightning. For travelling supporters, the mid-afternoon chaos meant constant phone footage home.

Then the kick-off time slipped, delayed by an hour—but the game still happened. And for Thomas Tuchel, sheltering with his players in the team hotel an hour before scheduled kick-off, the result reads like the best possible rehearsal: a win, dominance, and no injuries.

England took control early. raced through spells of comfortable possession. and then—after leading 1-0 with 25 minutes to go—leaned into the most intriguing experiment of their World Cup preparations so far. Tuchel made a raft of substitutions and moved Jude Bellingham up from the number ten position to play as centre forward. The change didn’t just look tactical; it fed directly into the next decisive moment.

After Bellingham’s tricky brilliance set up Eberechi Eze for a chance that struck a Costa Rican arm. the penalty was awarded. With the ball in Bellingham’s arms and Harry Kane off the field. England’s hierarchy for who would take it felt like it could have been settled. Instead, the England coaching staff appeared to suggest otherwise, and Anthony Gordon stepped in.

Gordon converted the penalty to give England their second goal in the 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, scoring with his right foot.

The context of the night was straightforward: one of the World Cup favourites faced a team ranked 53 in the world. missing six regular starters for a variety of strange reasons. The match itself reflected that gap. Costa Rica were enthusiastic enough, but they weren’t particularly good. Recent results—defeats to Colombia and Iran and a draw with Jordan—mapped out the form line. and this felt more like a competitive training exercise than a genuine test.

Still, it was the kind of test England were happy to pass in the conditions. The surface drained remarkably well after the storm. Even with the sprinklers on before kick-off, the pitch held up under pressure. A healthy crowd of English ex-pats and about 1500 travelling fans created a lively edge to the atmosphere as England pushed with a bit more verve than they had against New Zealand at the weekend.

Declan Rice opened the scoring early on after the match eventually got underway. In the tenth minute, Gordon—England’s brightest influence early on—eased away from opposing right-back Shawn Johnson to cross low. Rice swept a shot first time across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.

For a while, England looked like they could run away with it. Costa Rica spent half an hour without getting much time in England’s half at all. When they did get possession—after Jordan Pickford miscue presented them with the ball—they took a corner so ineptly it ended up at the feet of their own goalkeeper.

There were moments of bite in tackles from Costa Rica, enough to pick up a couple of early yellow cards, but their football didn’t threaten England’s control.

Bellingham started ahead of his rival for the number ten position, Morgan Rogers, and found space to operate. On the half hour, a pass inside the Costa Rica left-back released Noni Madueke. Madueke rounded goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira only to side foot his shot against the post with the whole goal to aim for.

Just before half-time, the game carried a twist of its own. Russian referee Katja Koroleva awarded a penalty after a challenge on Gordon, but VAR prompted her to overturn the decision.

With the sun now out and the on-pitch temperature nudging 80 degrees, the second period became a physical examination as much as a football one. Tuchel brought his players to Florida for that reason, and England’s intensity looked matched to the weather.

The second half continued in the same direction. England stayed on top and could have scored more than the three they did. Madueke curled a shot across goal and wide after being found by a raking Kane pass. Rogers. on as one of a raft of second half substitutes. had a moment of surprise when he missed the target when it seemed easier to score. At the death, a Rogers shot was saved, and Ollie Watkins followed up to score from close range.

Bellingham—having been moved up late on—was among those who helped England reshape the way they attacked after the introductions and changes. Gordon, though, remained the early standout. He had the look of a player arriving at a big club and carrying an extra edge. only a couple of weeks after his move to Barcelona.

He wasn’t alone. Both Gordon and Bellingham advanced their cases for selection when it matters here.

By the final whistle. England could return to their base camp in Kansas on Saturday knowing a little bit more about themselves—and. importantly. how it feels to play in these conditions. The phoney war is over. The World Cup is upon us. and in a night disrupted by weather but finished in clean football. England will feel ready for the next challenge.

England vs Costa Rica Thomas Tuchel World Cup warm-up Declan Rice Jude Bellingham Anthony Gordon Eberechi Eze Ollie Watkins Noni Madueke Orlando storm Kansas training camp