England 0-1 Japan: Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions played at Wembley on Tuesday night in their final international match at home ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel’s team failed to get a result against Japan (Image: Getty Images)
England lost 1-0 to Japan on Friday night, making it an unforgettable and lackluster night at Wembley. Thomas Tuchel’s injury-plagued Three Lions struggled to match the tempo of their Asian opponents, who looked brighter and sharper in the capital, with alarm bells ringing ahead of this summer’s North American World Cup.
Kaoru Mitoma gave Japan the lead after about a quarter of the game, pickpocketing Cole Palmer in his own half and then quickly picking up the pace. The Brighton star then shifted the ball wide and passed it to Keito Nakamura, who received the ball again inside the England box and fired it past Jordan Pickford for the first time. It was the Everton goalkeeper’s first international goal since October 2024.
Elliott Anderson looked to respond shortly after, but his brave shot from the edge of the area cracked the bar and came inches from equalizing. However, as per the story of the first half, Japan almost made it 2-0 before half-time when Ayase Ueda broke through the Three Lions’ backline before rattling Pickford’s bar.
read more: England confirm Harry Kane injured as Thomas Tuchel suffers fresh headache ahead of World Cupread more: The reason why eight England players were sent home before the friendly against Japan is explained.
Tuchel, who made no changes during the break, made his changes just 10 minutes into the second period, bringing on Dominic Solanke, Jarrod Bowen, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento for Palmer, Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly and Ben White.
Marcus Rashford then came on for Anthony Gordon with about 20 minutes remaining, and James Garner came on for Coby Mainu. Around five minutes later, Rashford had England’s first shot of the game on target, but Bowen then missed a chance to bury the ball from close range with his back to goal.
Dan Byrne and Harry Maguire also came on for Mark Guehi and Ezri Konsa in the final 10 minutes, giving the Three Lions the height they needed for set-pieces. Maguire took just a few seconds to head home from a corner kick, and Yukinari Sugawara cleared the ball close to the line to prevent the goal from being conceded.
Despite their best efforts, England ultimately suffered a 1-0 defeat at full-time, with their chances of competing in this summer’s tournament in doubt. Here are five things we learned from England’s friendly against Japan on Tuesday night.
Kane causes Thomas Tuchel World Cup headache
The Bayern Munich striker missed England’s friendly against Japan after picking up an injury in training. Phil Foden was placed in his place as false nine.
Speaking about the issue ahead of kick-off, Tuchel explained: “It was a minor injury, nothing unusual. It just happened. He had to leave training yesterday 15 minutes in. He had no chance to be involved, not today either. So he will be evaluated further and we will be watching him at the stadium.”
Asked if the problem was serious, the head coach said: “It’s serious enough that he won’t be able to play (tonight) so we’ll have to wait for further assessment. Foden is playing in the nine.”
Harry Kane did not play in the match against Japan (Image: PA)
“They play with a back three, so it’s not a bad thing to step back a little bit and ask questions of the back three: who’s going to be out, who’s not going to be out? I would encourage Phil to try things and be creative and adventurous.”
England looked completely at a loss without their star striker.
injuries cause great damage
Tuchel initially selected a 35-man squad for Uruguay’s friendly against Japan, but the latter was reduced to just 25 due to injuries. Kane was left out of the matchday squad against Japan, while Jordan Henderson returned to Brentford for undisclosed reasons.
Meanwhile, following Friday’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, Tuchel noticed a significant deterioration in the form of his side. Aaron Ramsdale, Fikayo Tomori, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and John Stones all dropped out of the squad in the aftermath.
Declan Rice leaves England camp (Image: PA)
Adam Wharton, Noni Maduke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka also returned to their respective clubs. England looked to lack a complete striker and looked incredibly thin in the center of the park, unable to control much of it.
The lack of experience at the back was also noticeable, and Japan had more chances in the first half due to some lethargic defending and poor selection, something that could have been rectified by playing Stones and starting Maguire.
Foden is not suitable as Kane’s substitute at the World Cup
Tuchel left Solanke on the bench, as well as Marcus Rashford, who had previously shown he could play centrally, but the head coach opted to use Foden as a false nine against Japan instead. The efforts ultimately bore no fruit as the Manchester City star struggled to break down Japan’s last line and was forced to drop deep to pick up the ball instead.
Phil Foden fails on false nine (Image: Getty Images)
If Tuchel loses faith in Solanke, given that he failed to make an impact despite playing around 60 minutes, an injury to Kane would create a big problem for the Three Lions at this summer’s World Cup. There are also questions about whether Tuchel made a mistake not including Danny Welbeck in camp, given that Brighton’s star has overshadowed Solanke’s form this season.
Kane, Saka and Rice contribute to success this summer
If Tuesday’s match against Japan proves anything, it’s that England may be overly reliant on Kane, Saka and Rice this summer. Not having three of the nation’s best talents available against them at Wembley was a night and day difference, and the Three Lions looked inexperienced, lackluster and erratic for much of the game – especially against an opponent who should have no problems on paper.
In terms of details, Gordon and Palmer’s corners were not up to the mark compared to the balls delivered by Saka and Rice, and Zion Suzuki was able to convert normally threatening set-pieces with ease.
Bukayo Saka was a huge failure (Image: PA)
In addition to the aerial threat posed by Kane at set-pieces, England severely lacked a focus on getting the ball in during the encounter, Foden simply wasn’t strong enough to hold onto the ball, and his pace and ball control proved insufficient against a team lacking serious physicality.
Maguire recovers from Manchester United red card
Despite going into the international break after receiving a red card at club level for dragging Evanilsson to the ground and conceding a penalty in United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, Maguire was able to bounce back straight from his predicament.
The centre-half may have only enjoyed around 10 minutes of football in England’s match against Japan, but he made an immediate impact in terms of his defensive prowess and aerial threat at set-pieces.
Harry Maguire showed quality when introduced (Image: PA)
The 33-year-old took three corner kicks after coming off the bench, one of which led to Sugawara clearing on the goal line.
England showed a major lack of physicality throughout the game until the likes of Maguire and Byrne came on, but the difference they made towards the end of the game gives us some idea of how the game might have played out had they, especially Maguire, been present during this period.
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