England delivered an impressive 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in their final World Cup warm-up match, though the players had to wait around for a bit first.
Storms in Orlando forced the kick-off back by an hour, with rain and lightning keeping Thomas Tuchel’s squad stuck in the dressing room.
Once they finally got going, it was well worth the wait.
The Three Lions put in a bright, energetic display against the 53rd-ranked Costa Ricans, who barely troubled Jordan Pickford throughout.
England will start their World Cup campaign full of confidence after a resounding win over Costa Rica
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It’s exactly the kind of confident performance England needed heading into their tournament opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June.
Declan Rice wasted no time making his mark, finding the net just nine minutes in with a deflected strike that nestled into the corner.
It was his seventh goal for England, and rather remarkable given he’d only been training for a couple of days after an extended break following the Champions League final.
Anthony Gordon deserves plenty of credit for the opener, bursting down the left flank with pace that left defender Shawn Johnson completely beaten.
Johnson was later booked for chopping down the new Barcelona signing, who looked full of confidence throughout.
Anthony Gordon’s goal and assist capped off a fine evening for the new Barcelona man
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Jude Bellingham made a real statement about his World Cup ambitions, starting in the number 10 role ahead of Morgan Rogers.
The Real Madrid midfielder was brilliant from the off, sprinting to close down an opponent within eight seconds of kick-off.
He threaded a gorgeous pass through to Noni Madueke, who rounded goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira but could only hit the post.
The Arsenal forward lost possession a few times trying to be too clever, which won’t have pleased Tuchel.
England’s second came after 68 minutes when Joseph Peraza handled in the box, and Gordon absolutely smashed the penalty into the top corner.
Ollie Watkins wrapped things up nicely three minutes from time, nodding home from close range after the keeper could only parry Morgan Rogers’ effort.
Ollie Watkins wrapped up the result with a poacher’s effort to make it a dream night for Thomas Tuchel
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It was his seventh England goal, giving the scoreline a fitting look given how dominant Tuchel’s side had been all evening.
The manager made six substitutions in the 63rd minute, with Bukayo Saka coming on to finish as captain despite not being fully fit in training.
England now head back to Palm Beach before a closed-doors practice match against fourth-tier Miami FC.
Then it’s off to Kansas and the real business begins against Croatia at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.
