England defeats Costa Rica, poised to conquer the 2026 World Cup

Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon, and Ollie Watkins scored to secure a 3-0 win for England in their last pre-World Cup 2026 friendly against Costa Rica.

England entered their final friendly before the 2026 World Cup determined to build momentum and quickly imposed their game plan on Costa Rica right from the opening whistle.

The home side dominated possession, constantly pressuring their opponents with fast attacks down both flanks. From the early minutes, Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke created significant pressure. In the 6th minute, Bellingham's shot was blocked by the Costa Rican defense, earning England their first corner kick. Just three minutes later, the deadlock was broken.

Anthony Gordon delivered a convenient pass for Declan Rice to shoot from inside the box. The ball deflected off a Costa Rican defender, leaving goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira helpless, giving England a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute.

After the goal, Thomas Tuchel's team maintained their pressure. In the 14th minute, Gordon had a chance to create a breakthrough, but Sequeira rushed out to clear the danger, before the home side earned another corner kick.

In the 22nd minute, England created their most dangerous chance since the opening goal. From a Rice free kick, Harry Kane rose high to head the ball dangerously toward the right corner of the goal, but Sequeira made an excellent reflex save.

The following minutes saw a series of attacks by the "Three Lions". Madueke forced the Costa Rican goalkeeper into action with a powerful long-range shot in the 25th minute, while Kane and Nico O'Reilly missed unfortunate chances. Most notably, in the 36th minute, Madueke received a good pass inside the box and fired a close-range shot, but the ball hit the right post, much to the dismay of the English fans.

Late in the first half, the match became more tense with some collisions that required medical attention for Elliot Anderson and Orlando Galo.

The most notable incident occurred in the second minute of stoppage time when referee Ekaterina Koroleva initially awarded a penalty to England after a foul by Shawn Johnson. However, after consulting VAR, she reversed her decision and canceled the penalty, leaving the English players disappointed.

After five minutes of added time, the first half ended with England leading 1-0 thanks to Declan Rice's goal. After the break, England continued to dominate Costa Rica in the friendly and created numerous dangerous chances. Immediately in the 48th minute, Noni Madueke performed a skillful dribble before unleashing a curling shot from outside the box, but the ball narrowly missed the post.

The home side continuously pressured with quick combinations from Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Nico O'Reilly, forcing the Costa Rican defense to work at full capacity. In the 55th minute, Costa Rica suffered setbacks as Aaron Salazar received a yellow card for a strong challenge. England's mounting pressure finally paid off in the 67th minute.

After a foul inside the box, referee Ekaterina Koroleva pointed to the penalty spot. Anthony Gordon calmly struck a precise penalty into the top left corner, giving goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira no chance, making it 2-0 for the "Three Lions".

Immediately after the goal, coach Thomas Tuchel made several substitutions to test his squad. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Kobbie Mainoo, Marc Guehi, and many others were brought on, helping England maintain a strong attacking intensity.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica also made continuous adjustments to their lineup but still faced difficulties in building up play under pressure from the opposition.

The final minutes saw England completely dominate the match. Morgan Rogers nearly scored in the 76th minute with a shot that narrowly missed the post. Saka was outstanding on the right flank, continuously earning corners and creating dangerous chances.

After much effort, the home side added another goal in the 87th minute. From a scramble in front of goal, Ollie Watkins quickly rushed in to head the ball into the net, sealing a 3-0 victory.

The remaining time was not enough for Costa Rica to make a difference. England closed out the match with a convincing performance, completely controlling the game and winning 3-0, thus having a good warm-up before entering the 2026 World Cup.

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