England put in a flat performance as Japan came to Wembley to secure victory, but manager Thomas Tuchel will be left questioning whether any of his players are World Cup-worthy.
Kaoru Mitoma proved to be Japan’s shining light at Wembley
Japan came on strong at Wembley, defeating England and underscoring their World Cup qualification with an impressive victory, led by Yoshiro Mitoma’s first-half goal.
The Brighton ace was coming off the first-half break, facing a familiar opponent from his Premier League experience, but his shot left no chance for Jordan Pickford.
Thomas Tuchel’s side finished this international block with a dominant result, giving Japan a chance to extend their lead even further. The draw with Uruguay saw the hosts lack their traditional number 9, with the exception of Harry Kane due to injury, so they lacked any real edge and continued to lose.
Elliott Anderson’s shot came close to England’s goal in the first half, his strike hitting the top of the bar, but the Three Lions struggled to create any chance of salvaging the game despite the time limit. Substitute Marcus Rashford found the yard and fired, but his 77th-minute effort was England’s first shot on target, but it hit the goalkeeper. Morgan Rogers would later denounce the close range attack.
Tuchel will have fewer games to play before the start of this summer’s World Cup and there will be few players available to extend his chances on Tuesday night. Japan, on the other hand, confronted Britain with reality, emphasizing the fact that they could pose a serious threat. Here are the player ratings at Wembley:
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England (4-2-3-1)
jordan pickford
Although he was unable to aim for Japan’s goal, he did a great job of stopping it with his feet.
Rating: 7
ben white
I was exposed defensively many times. I slowed down a few miles. It’s a really weak link.
Rating: 4
Ezri Konsa
A true favorite of Tuchel – and he at least did his best to keep the defense together.
Rating: 6
Ben White endured a difficult night on the right side
mark gehi
The captain’s armband underlines Tuchel’s confidence, but it was far from his best night.
Rating: 6
Nico O’Reilly
It was unfortunate that Mitoma’s goal ruined it. Defensively exposed.
Rating: 5
Elliot Anderson
It was solid enough and I hit the shot over the crossbar.
Rating: 7
Coby Mainu
It was a neat and nice pass, but it didn’t completely open up Japan’s defense.
Rating: 6
Elliott Anderson was a rare flash of brilliance for England.
cole palmer
Although they tried their best, they were given the ball in front of Japan’s goal. Far from his best.
Rating: 6
morgan rogers
I drifted to the right and got lost. I tried to make things happen, but I lacked the spark.
Rating: 5
anthony gordon
His pace and direct runs showed at least some threat. One of England’s finest performers.
Rating: 6
Thomas Tuchel has been forced to digest a rare defeat as England manager
phil foden
It started as a false nine, but it didn’t work because it offered little threat.
Rating: 5
substitute
Bowen, for Palmer, 59 minutes, 6
Solanke, Foden, 59 minutes, 6
libramento, white, 59 minutes, 6
Hall, for O’Reilly, 59 minutes, 7
Garner, Mainu, 71 minutes, 6
Rashford, for Gordon, 71 minutes, 7
Maguire vs. Guehi, 83 minutes, n/a
Burn, concert, 83 minutes, n/a
Subs: Trafford, Steele, Henderson, Bellingham, Barnes, Spence.
Japan: Suzuki 7, Ito 7 (Seko, 66, 6), Watanabe 7, Taniguchi 6, Nakamura 7, Sano 6, Kamata 7, Doan 7, Mitoma 8, Ito Hide 7, Ueda 7 (Ogawa, 66, 6)
Subs: Hayakawa, Osaka, Sugawara, Seko, Fujita, Yuki Suzuki, Machino, Maeda, Hashioka, Tanaka, Ogawa, Suzuki J.
Man of the Match: Yoshiro Mitoma
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