England's Early Lead
Declan Rice's Early Goal Puts England Ahead in Pre-World Cup Friendly Against Costa Rica
Key Points
Anthony Gordon’s opener run on the left ended with a weighted cutback for Declan Rice, who finished it “first-time with his left-foot, right across the goalkeeper” to make it 1-0 in the 10th minute.
Referee Ekaterina Koroleva was forced into early management of the physicality, with Reece James flagged for a clear foul (holding an opponent by the shirt) and Manfred Ugalde responding with a tough tackle; in the 8th minute, Harry Kane also went down in the area, but the referee “quickly dismissed calls for a penalty.”
Late in the first half, England created another major incident: after Harry Kane played a diagonal toward Gordon, Gordon went down under pressure from Johnson and “the referee signals for a penalty,” but VAR then intervened, asking the official to check the monitor.
Before England’s goal, Jude Bellingham struck from outside the area; the shot was blocked by the Costa Rica defensive line and led to a corner, which Noni Madueke took—though Costa Rica cleared it “without any major problems.”
England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in their final warm-up match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Declan Rice opening the scoring in the 10th minute at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The comfortable victory gave manager Thomas Tuchel confidence heading into England's tournament opener against Croatia on June 17 in Dallas. The Guardian reported Tuchel saying the performance made his mind "very calm because we are on absolutely the right way."
The match was delayed an hour due to severe thunderstorms in Orlando before England dominated from start to finish, finishing with 81% possession and eight shots on target to Costa Rica's zero, Flashscore reported.
Rice Breaks the Deadlock After Gordon's Brilliant Run
Anthony Gordon drove to the byline on the left in the 10th minute and cut the ball back perfectly. Declan Rice met it first-time with his left foot, firing it across goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira. A slight deflection left Sequeira with no chance, according to CaughtOffside. It was Rice's seventh goal for England.
The goal came after an intense opening. Costa Rica committed 11 fouls in the first half alone, per Flashscore. Referee Ekaterina Koroleva managed the physicality early, flagging Reece James for a shirt-pull and dismissing a penalty appeal from Harry Kane in the 8th minute. Before Rice's goal, Jude Bellingham fired from outside the area, but the shot was blocked and Costa Rica cleared the resulting corner.
VAR Overturns Late First-Half Penalty Decision
In the 45th minute, Gordon went down under a challenge from Shawn Johnson after Kane played a diagonal pass. Koroleva pointed to the spot, but VAR called her to the monitor. She overturned the decision, ruling no penalty, The Guardian reported.
The incident underlined the tight margins in the first half. Despite England's dominance, Noni Madueke hit the right post with an open net in the 36th minute, and first-half finishing was flagged by AS USA as a concern heading into the tournament against higher-level sides.
Gordon and Watkins Seal the Win in the Second Half
England made it 2-0 in the 68th minute when Gordon converted a penalty. The spot kick was awarded after an Eberechi Eze shot struck a defender's arm, The Mirror reported. Ollie Watkins then headed home a rebound in the 87th minute after a Morgan Rogers effort was parried, completing the 3-0 win.
Gordon was the standout player across the full 90 minutes. The Barcelona winger, recently transferred from Newcastle in a big-money move, provided an assist, won a penalty, and scored — a performance that likely locks down his starting spot on the left wing against Croatia, per The Mirror.
England Zero In on Croatia Opener With Tuchel's XI Set
Declan Rice called the display "outstanding" and said the squad was ready. "The manager was onto us to ramp it up," Rice told ITV Sport. "Really good last game before it all starts." Analyst Jacob Steinberg wrote in The Guardian that Tuchel's decision to start Bellingham at No. 10 suggests the strongest XI is now settled.
England fly from Orlando to Kansas City for final training before heading to Dallas for the June 17 opener against Croatia. One lingering concern is Bukayo Saka, who played limited minutes and appears to be "managed carefully" ahead of the group stages, according to Inkl. The 25,500 fans at the Inter&Co Stadium saw England send a clear signal: they arrive at this World Cup in form.
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