After fielding a different lineup in each half of Saturday’s 1-0 win over New Zealand, Thomas Tuchel named an XI that is likely to closely resemble the side that will start England's Group L opener against Croatia next Wednesday.
The notable calls saw John Stones preferred to Marc Guéhi, Jude Bellingham start ahead of Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon favoured over Marcus Rashford, while Bukayo Saka was only on the bench as he regains full fitness.
Kick-off in Orlando was delayed an hour by storms, but England wasted no time in asserting themselves once play started and took a ninth-minute lead.
Gordon raced clear before cutting the ball back for Declan Rice to fire home his seventh international goal with the help of a slight deflection.
The Three Lions were hungry for more, and Patrick Sequeira was forced into a flying save to tip Harry Kane’s header around the post midway through the half.
Noni Madueke then should have scored when he latched onto Bellingham’s through ball and rounded Sequeira, but instead struck the post with the net gaping.
Costa Rica racked up 11 fouls in the first half and referee Ekaterina Koroleva pointed to the penalty spot when Gordon went down under Shawn Johnson’s challenge in stoppage time, before she overturned the decision having consulted the VAR monitor.
England remained in complete control in the second half, and Madueke curled just wide of the far post moments after the restart.
Tuchel made six changes just after the hour mark, including replacing Jordan Pickford with Dean Henderson in goal, bringing Saka on for Madueke and taking Kane off for Rogers.
The Three Lions were gifted a golden chance to double their lead when Eberechi Eze, another substitute, saw his effort strike an elbow in the box, and Gordon slammed his third England goal into the top corner from the spot.
It marked the first time in four matches that Tuchel’s men had scored more than once, and the sixth friendly in a row in which Costa Rica had conceded at least twice.
Rogers side-footed wide when sent through one-on-one, before Aston Villa teammate Ollie Watkins headed home his seventh international goal from close range three minutes from time.
That moment capped off a satisfying afternoon in which England underlined why they are among the favourites to lift the WC, while Costa Rica will watch the tournament from afar after seeing their winless streak extended to six games (D2, L4).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Declan Rice (England)
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FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
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