UMVA has learned that England's national team delivered a commanding performance in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica, with Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon making significant contributions to the score.
Rice, the Arsenal midfielder, opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes, while Gordon netted a penalty in the second half, and substitute Ollie Watkins sealed the victory with a late goal.
The dominant display against a lackluster Costa Rica side has kept England on track for their World Cup opener against Croatia, and Rice revealed that manager Thomas Tuchel had demanded a much more intense performance from the team.
'The manager was onto us before the game to ramp it up,' Rice told ITV. 'Intensity with the ball, counter-pressing, and I thought the performance tonight was top from everyone.'
Rice was effusive in his praise for the team's performance, particularly the link-up play between Gordon and Nico O'Reilly, which he saw as an encouraging sign of the team's growing cohesion.
Gordon, who impressed on the left wing, seemed to have adapted well to the conditions, and Rice noted that the team had made significant strides in adjusting to the heat and building their fitness.
Tuchel was equally thrilled with the performance, stating that the team had 'deserved to win' and 'should have had more goals.' He praised the team's attitude, energy, and intensity, saying it was 'on a very high level.'
The win over Costa Rica was England's final official friendly before the World Cup, but they have another behind-closed-doors match against Miami United on Thursday, where Tuchel's players will have one more chance to make their case for a starting spot.
Tuchel remained tight-lipped about his plans for the starting lineup, saying he will 'now find XI for tomorrow's game and then I have another six days' to finalize his selection.
The team's performance has provided a significant boost to their World Cup preparations, and Tuchel expressed his pride in the team's 'spirit and behaviour,' saying it was 'exactly what we wished for and exactly what we wanted.'
