News Focus
- England won 1-0 against New Zealand in a friendly match in Tampa, Florida
- Captain Harry Kane scored his 79th international goal before half-time
- Manager Thomas Tuchel changed all eleven players at half-time, using 22 players in total
- Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have now joined the squad after resting
- England will play Costa Rica next before facing Croatia in their opening World Cup match on 17 June
Thomas Tuchel must now stop testing players and choose his best team. England played their first World Cup warm-up game on Saturday. They beat New Zealand 1-0 in very hot weather in Tampa. The England manager used two different teams. He changed all the players at half-time. This was the first time since 2004 that England used 22 players in one match.
Harry Kane scored the winning goal just before half-time. This was his 79th goal for his country. The captain remains the most important player for England. Tuchel said he liked the second half better. He felt the team showed more hunger then. However, he knows they must improve before the World Cup starts.
Some key players were missing in Tampa. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka from Arsenal were resting. They had just played in the Champions League final. Now they have joined the team in America. Tuchel is happy to have them back. He needs all his best players ready now.
England will play one more friendly match on Wednesday. They face Costa Rica in Orlando. After that, they travel to Dallas for their first World Cup game against Croatia on 17 June. Tuchel hopes to use his strongest team against Costa Rica. This will help the players find rhythm together.
The manager still has some big decisions to make. He must choose his central defenders. John Stones played 45 minutes with Marc Guehi in this game. Reece James also played at right-back and will probably start at the World Cup. Tuchel must also pick a number 10. Morgan Rogers started the match, but Jude Bellingham was captain in the second half. Both players want to play in this position.
One young player made history. Rio Ngumoha is only 17 years old. He played for England in the second half. He is the fifth youngest player ever for the national team. He is not in the World Cup squad yet. But he showed he has great talent for the future.
Former England player Stephen Warnock spoke about the match. He said the performance was not perfect. But he thinks the hot weather was very difficult for the players. He said it takes two weeks to get used to the heat. England will be sharp and ready when they play Croatia.
Tuchel said no players were injured in the match. This is very good news for the team. The manager hopes his players will look better against Costa Rica. Then they will be ready to start their World Cup campaign.