“Declan Rice opens the scoring to give England an early foothold, setting the tone for a dominant evening.”
Pivotal“Anthony Gordon is involved in a notable incident just before the break, hinting at the influence he would go on to have in the second half.”
“Anthony Gordon converts from the spot to double England's lead and put the result beyond any doubt.”
Pivotal“Substitute Ollie Watkins caps a comfortable evening with a late third goal, rounding off a routine victory.”
England
Costa Rica
Outstanding performance
England•MidfielderEngland were in complete control from the first whistle, suffocating Costa Rica with 82% possession and 540 completed passes at 91% accuracy — figures that underlined just how one-sided this contest was. Declan Rice set the tone early, breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute, and Costa Rica's disciplinary record of 24 fouls told the story of a side reduced to cynical disruption as their only defensive tool. Anthony Gordon was the brightest spark in an England attack that created four big chances, with his penalty conversion in the 68th minute effectively ending the contest, before Ollie Watkins added gloss late on after coming off the bench. For Costa Rica, a single shot all evening and five saves from a goalkeeper working largely against speculative efforts sums up an evening to forget, while England head into the summer with confidence and momentum, the only concern being how little the opposition tested them ahead of more serious competitive challenges.
How entertaining was this match?
England take on Costa Rica in an international friendly at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, offering Gareth Southgate's successor a chance to fine-tune preparations ahead of the 2026 World Cup. With a mix of established stars and exciting young talent, this match provides a valuable opportunity to assess squad depth and tactical options against a well-organized CONCACAF side.
