England Beat Costa Rica 3-0 as Gordon Impresses Before World Cup Opener

Anthony Gordon scored and assisted as England completed their World Cup preparations with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in Orlando. The result gave Thomas Tuchel fresh selection questions ahead of next week’s Group L opener against Croatia and provided further evidence of England’s growing attacking depth.

ORLANDO, Florida – England completed their preparations for the FIFA World Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory over Costa Rica on Wednesday night, as Anthony Gordon delivered another impressive performance ahead of the tournament opener against Croatia.

A severe storm delayed kick-off by an hour, but Thomas Tuchel’s side quickly settled into rhythm once play began, dominating possession and creating the majority of the game’s meaningful chances.

Declan Rice opened the scoring after nine minutes following good work from Gordon, before the winger added England’s second from the penalty spot midway through the second half. Substitute Ollie Watkins completed the scoring with a late header to seal a victory that reflected England’s overall control of the contest. For Tuchel, the result offered encouragement ahead of England’s World Cup campaign, which begins against Croatia on 17 June.

Gordon strengthens his case

Among the biggest positives for England was the continued form of Gordon. The Newcastle United forward was involved in England’s opening goal, consistently threatened Costa Rica’s defence with direct running and movement, and calmly converted his second-half penalty. His display comes at a crucial moment, with Tuchel still weighing several key attacking selections before the start of the tournament.

Speaking after the match, Gordon said pressure was a normal part of playing for England.

“There is always pressure when you play for England. There is pressure if you’re waiting on the bench to come on. There is always pressure. If you sort of revel in that, you’re at the wrong level.”

Former Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane suggested Gordon had further strengthened his position ahead of England’s opening fixture.

“Anthony Gordon will be on a high with his recent move to Barcelona. Gordon, you would think, would get the nod.”

Attacking options increase

England’s victory also highlighted the depth available to Tuchel.

Jude Bellingham impressed in an advanced midfield role, while Eberechi Eze made a lively impact after coming off the bench. Bukayo Saka returned from injury, and Watkins reinforced his credentials with his late goal. Notably, England scored three times without captain Harry Kane finding the net, a development that may reassure supporters concerned about the team’s dependence on their all-time leading goalscorer.

Room for improvement

Despite the comfortable scoreline, England were not flawless. The Three Lions created enough chances to score more than three goals and occasionally lacked composure in front of goal. Costa Rica offered limited attacking threat, meaning England’s defensive organisation was rarely tested by sustained pressure.

Former England defender Stephen Warnock observed during the match that the scoreline did not fully reflect England’s dominance.

“England are taking the game to Costa Rica and the scoreline isn’t reflecting how England are playing at the moment.”

Tuchel acknowledged that his side could have scored more goals.

“We did very well, and we deserved to win. We should have had more goals — we created a lot.”

Looking ahead

England now move into the final phase of preparation before facing Croatia in their opening World Cup match. The performance will not answer every question surrounding Tuchel’s preferred starting XI, but it did provide further evidence that competition for places is increasing at exactly the right moment.

For a team widely regarded as one of the contenders for the trophy, that may have been the most encouraging sign of all.

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