Anthony Gordon provided an assist and a penalty as England overwhelmed Costa Rica 3–0 at Inter&Co Stadium, with Thomas Tuchel rotating his entire squad before the World Cup opener.
Gordon's left-flank threat sets tone for comfortable England win
Declan Rice finished from Anthony Gordon's cutback after nine minutes to give England a lead they never looked like losing. Gordon tormented Costa Rica's right side throughout the first half, drawing a booking from Shawn Johnson and winning a penalty that VAR overturned. Noni Madueke added menace on the opposite flank, hitting the post after rounding goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira. Costa Rica managed one blocked shot across the entire match.
England won 3–0 with Rice, Gordon and Ollie Watkins scoring. The margin could have been greater—Madueke struck the woodwork, Morgan Rogers missed a one-on-one, and Eberechi Eze saw a curling effort cleared off the line. Costa Rica collected four yellow cards and created nothing, leaving England with a confident final rehearsal before facing Croatia in their World Cup opener.
Key Events
Minute | Event | Player / Team | Description |
9' | Goal | Declan Rice / England | Left-footed finish from Gordon's cutback |
36' | Woodwork | Noni Madueke / England | Rounds goalkeeper but strikes right post |
45+3' | VAR | England | Penalty overturned after review |
63' | Injury | Patrick Sequeira / Costa Rica | Forced off with right calf problem |
68' | Penalty Goal | Anthony Gordon / England | Driven into top left corner |
87' | Goal | Ollie Watkins / England | Header from close range after rebound |
Rice's early finish set the pattern. Gordon added the second from the spot after Darril Araya handled Eze's shot. Watkins completed the scoring when Abraham Madriz could only parry Rogers' effort into his path.
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford - 6.5
A quiet evening behind England's control, though his pass under pressure led to Costa Rica's only shot.
Reece James - 6.8
Tidy and reliable on the right flank, combining with Madueke, though less prominent than England's devastating left side.
Ezri Konsa - 6.9
Composed at the back with licence to advance, rarely troubled as Costa Rica offered minimal attacking threat.
John Stones - 6.7
Stepped forward to circulate possession as an auxiliary midfielder, though one misplaced pass contributed to Pickford's error.
Nico O'Reilly - 7.0
Overlapping runs and intelligent positioning on the left created space for Gordon to exploit Costa Rica's vulnerable right.
Declan Rice - 8.4
Opened the scoring with a composed left-footed finish, delivered dangerous set-pieces, and screened midfield with typical authority.
Elliot Anderson - 7.7
Progressive passing and intelligent movement connected defence to attack, dictating play through central areas before a head clash.
Noni Madueke - 7.5
Beat Sequeira one-on-one only to strike the post, forced another save, and shot narrowly wide after half-time.
Jude Bellingham - 7.1
Threaded passes between the lines and created Madueke's chance against the post in a professional, measured display.
Anthony Gordon - 9.0
Tormented Costa Rica's right side throughout, assisted Rice's opener, and converted the penalty with a powerful right-footed strike.
Harry Kane - 7.2
Header saved at close range, dropped deep to link play, and delivered the pass that led to the penalty.
Dean Henderson - 6.3
Replaced Pickford at the hour mark and was largely untroubled as Costa Rica posed no meaningful threat.
Marc Guéhi - 6.4
Slotted into the backline after replacing Stones and helped maintain the clean sheet without being seriously tested.
Djed Spence - 6.6
Contributed to attacking sequences down the right and kept Costa Rica under pressure during the closing stages.
Eberechi Eze - 7.3
Shot struck Araya's arm to win the penalty, then saw a curling effort cleared off the line by Galo.
Bukayo Saka - 6.7
Inherited the armband after Kane's departure, delivered set-pieces with his left foot, and showed good dribbling ability.
Morgan Rogers - 6.9
Missed a clear one-on-one chance but his saved shot led directly to Watkins heading home the third goal.
Dan Burn - 6.5
Provided an aerial target from set-pieces and helped see out the match comfortably after entering at 71 minutes.
Jarell Quansah - 6.2
Limited involvement after replacing Bellingham, with Costa Rica offering minimal threat to test him defensively.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6.4
Looked to maintain midfield control after replacing Anderson; long-range shot lacked power and was easily gathered.
Marcus Rashford - 6.8
Brought directness to the left flank, beating Quiros with good dribbling and linking well in the build-up.
Ollie Watkins - 7.4
Showed predatory instincts to head home the rebound from Rogers' saved shot, sealing a comfortable victory.
Costa Rica Player Ratings
Patrick Sequeira - 6.1
Two good saves from Kane and Madueke, but beaten for the opener before a calf injury ended his evening.
Shawn Johnson - 5.0
Tormented by Gordon throughout the first half, booked for a foul, and withdrawn at the interval.
Jeyland Mitchell - 5.9
One of Costa Rica's more composed defenders, making several important blocks and clearances under sustained pressure.
Fernán Faerron - 5.7
Part of the disciplined low block but could not prevent three goals and offered nothing going forward.
Darril Araya - 5.1
Handball inside the area led directly to Gordon's penalty; struggled defensively and offered limited attacking contribution.
Aarón Salazar - 5.4
Held midfield and helped form a triangle around Kane, but booked for pulling back Konsa as England dominated.
Orlando Galo - 6.4
Captain registered Costa Rica's only shot, then produced a vital goal-line clearance to deny Eze in stoppage time.
Carlos Mora - 5.3
Booked for a high challenge on Anderson; occupied with defensive work and posed minimal threat going forward.
Andrey Soto - 5.5
Limited involvement before his 55th-minute withdrawal, committing fouls as Costa Rica struggled to contain England's left-flank attacks.
Josimar Alcócer - 5.5
Isolated on the left flank with few opportunities to run at defenders; drew fouls but produced no end product.
Manfred Ugalde - 5.2
Starved of service and isolated as Costa Rica's lone striker, losing most aerial duels against comfortable England defenders.
Haxzel Quiros - 5.4
Replaced the struggling Johnson at half-time but fared little better, beaten by Rashford's dribbling after the hour.
Cristopher Núñez - 5.2
Entered at 55 minutes but offered minimal positive impact; booked for delaying a free kick out of frustration.
Abraham Madriz - 5.7
Made a fine save to deny Rogers one-on-one, but his parry led directly to Watkins heading home the third.
John Ruiz - 5.5
Late substitute who helped shore up the defensive shape but had little time to make any meaningful impact.
Doryan Rodríguez - 5.5
Entered at 81 minutes with Costa Rica pinned back; had no opportunity to demonstrate any attacking qualities.
Orlando Sinclair - 5.5
Brief cameo from the 82nd minute with minimal involvement as Costa Rica continued to defend deep.
Line-Ups and Subs
England started in a 4-2-3-1 with Pickford behind James, Konsa, Stones and O'Reilly. Rice and Anderson held midfield, with Madueke right, Bellingham central and Gordon left behind Kane. Costa Rica's 4-1-4-1 saw Sequeira in goal, Johnson, Mitchell, Faerron and Araya across the back, Salazar screening, and Ugalde alone up front.
Tuchel replaced all eleven starters. Rice, Stones, Kane, James and Madueke departed at 63 minutes. O'Reilly, Anderson, Bellingham, Gordon and Konsa followed at 71 minutes. Costa Rica withdrew the booked Johnson at half-time and made further changes at 55, 81 and 82 minutes.
Sequeira's calf injury forced his 63rd-minute departure and brought Abraham Madriz into goal.
First Half: Madueke hits post as England dominate
England took the lead after nine minutes. Gordon drove down the left, held off Johnson and cut the ball back from the byline. Rice arrived unmarked and finished with his left foot, the ball deflecting off Orlando Galo and into the bottom right corner.
Sequeira kept Costa Rica in the match. He dived right to save Kane's glancing header at close range in the 23rd minute, then pushed away Madueke's first-time left-footed shot from outside the box two minutes later. Madueke came closer still at 36 minutes, collecting Bellingham's pass and rounding Sequeira one-on-one, only to strike the right post with the goal open.
Johnson was booked for fouling Gordon in the 22nd minute and struggled throughout. Carlos Mora received a yellow card for a high challenge on Anderson before half-time. Deep in stoppage time, Gordon went down under Johnson's challenge inside the area and the referee pointed to the spot, but VAR overturned the penalty decision.
Second Half: Gordon penalty and Watkins header complete win
Madueke shot narrowly wide three minutes after the restart. England's five-man substitution at 63 minutes brought Eze, Guéhi, Rogers, Spence and Saka for Rice, Stones, Kane, James and Madueke. At the same moment, Sequeira went down with a calf injury and was replaced by Madriz.
Eze's shot from distance struck Araya's arm inside the area in the 68th minute. Gordon placed the penalty into the top left corner with his right foot. Five more England changes at 71 minutes completed the rotation of Tuchel's starting eleven.
Rogers missed a one-on-one with Madriz, shooting wide of the right post. He made amends in the 87th minute when his low shot was parried by Madriz and Watkins headed in the rebound from close range. Eze nearly added a fourth in stoppage time, but Galo cleared his curling effort off the goal line.
Tactical Notes
Tuchel's 4-2-3-1 concentrated attacking play down the left, where Gordon and O'Reilly combined repeatedly against Johnson. Costa Rica's 4-1-4-1 with Salazar forming a triangle around Kane limited the captain's touches inside the box but could not prevent England's midfield from dominating possession. The wholesale rotation at 63 and 71 minutes allowed every outfield squad member minutes before the tournament.
Broader Implications
England finished their final World Cup preparation with a comfortable win. The performance highlighted Gordon's form ahead of the Croatia opener. Costa Rica, who failed to qualify for the tournament, collected four bookings and managed one shot across ninety minutes.
Off-the-Pitch Context
Heavy rain in Orlando delayed kick-off by one hour, though the pitch was reported in good condition when play began. The match served as England's last fixture before their World Cup campaign.
England vs Costa Rica match stats
Statistic | England | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
Shots on Target | 9 | 0 |
Shots off Target | 8 | 0 |
Blocked Shots | 9 | 1 |
Possession (%) | 77 | 23 |
Corner Kicks | 11 | 1 |
Fouls | 7 | 23 |
Throw ins | 14 | 10 |
Yellow Cards | 0 | 4 |
Crosses | 26 | 2 |
Counter Attacks | 1 | 2 |
Goalkeeper Saves | 0 | 5 |
Goal Kicks | 1 | 11 |
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