England 1-0 New Zealand: Thomas Tuchel gave 22 men a run-out in the World Cup warm-up under the Tampa sun and Harry Kane’s header sealed the lead just before half-time.
Harry Kane continues his form in goal (Image: Eddie Keogh/The FA via Getty Images)
England struggled to beat New Zealand in their first friendly ahead of the World Cup. The Three Lions spent a week acclimatizing to Florida’s sweltering weather, but could only manage to entertain 25,889 fans in Tampa for their only goal against the World Cup’s lowest-placed team.
New Zealand are the 85th-ranked team in the world, ranked below Haiti and Curacao according to FIFA, but it took until the 47th minute for Harry Kane to break the deadlock when he headed in Jed Spence’s cross. Manager Thomas Tuchel carefully managed his players’ workload in the heat, substituting the entire squad at half-time.
England were awarded a penalty for a foul on Ivan Toney, but the offside flag was raised to overturn the decision. There was the England debut of Liverpool’s exciting 17-year-old winger Rio Ngmoha in the second half, but there was little else to get excited about.
A friendly against Costa Rica, in which Arsenal’s contingent is available, will follow on Wednesday, after which the Three Lions will focus fully on their first Group L match against Croatia on June 17.
First half lineup: Pickford. Stones, Guehi, Quansah, Spence. Henderson, Mainou, Rogers. Rashford, Watkins, Kane.
Second half lineup: Trafford. James, Consa, Byrne, Livramento. Bellingham, Anderson, O’Reilly. Gordon, Ngmoha, Tony.
Here are the talking points from the friendly in Tampa.
1. Heat is a big factor
This World Cup will be determined by the heat and humidity in which the matches will be played. Experts told Mirror Football that even with hydration breaks between each half and other measures introduced by FIFA, teams would struggle to reach their normal intensity.
Tuchel is well aware of what will happen and England have worked with Team GB to prepare their players as best as possible. We’ve also deployed fitness trackers, cooling vests, palm coolers, and more to leverage technology to give us an edge over our opponents.
However, with temperatures reaching 33 degrees in Tampa, Tuchel decided to replace the entire squad at half-time. “Let’s see what we can produce,” he said before the game. “It’s the first time we’ve had a really, really hot day. We’re looking forward to it. I don’t think there’s any problem with not having a high press.” Needless to say, the high press, and intensity of any kind, was severely lacking.
I needed a hydration break (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
2. An overwhelming start
Ian Wright summarized his concerns about the newly laid pitch before kick-off. “You don’t know about the talent of this player at this stage of the World Cup,” he said on ITV. “We’re about to start the World Cup. The weather looks very uneven and very dry. I’m worried.”
Fortunately, those concerns didn’t manifest in injuries, but the spectacle certainly suffered – and other factors didn’t help. Some supporters inside Raymond James Stadium paid $250 ($187) to watch the game in the Florida heat. To quench your thirst, a beer cost $18 (£13.49), while an ‘Ultra Premium Double Cocktail’ cost $26.50 (£19.86).
They came to watch a virtual training session, playing on a rocking pitch in front of a pirate ship. It was my first taste of what was to come at the World Cup, and it wasn’t all that appealing.
A pirate ship watching a friendly between England and New Zealand (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
3. Kane the Key
Kane scored a frankly absurd 61 goals in 51 games in all competitions for Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 season. He came into this game having scored 78 goals in 112 games for England. So it was no surprise when he scored first in Tampa.
His deft flick of the header landed perfectly in the bottom corner of the goal, and England fans breathed a sigh of relief after a lackluster first half. The 32-year-old can’t stop scoring goals and there’s clearly an over-reliance on the captain, but England won’t mind.
Harry Kane scores England’s first goal (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
4. Battle for left-back
Many fans and pundits predicted that England’s left-back spot at the World Cup would be Lewis Hall versus Nico O’Reilly. Newcastle defender Hall has been left at home and if this match attracts attention it could be Jed Spence versus Tino Libramento.
Spence played as a left-back in the first half and showed a few flashes of brilliance, with ambitions to go before providing England with a breakthrough. It was the Tottenham man’s cross that Kane nodded in, showing the pace Tuchel mentioned when explaining his selection.
In the second half, right-handed Libramento moved to left-back, while O’Reilly played as part of a midfield trio. It is interesting to note that it is early days and Tuchel has openly admitted that Ollie Watkins is only playing on the right wing as Bukayo Saka and Noni Maduke are still unavailable.
Tino Libramento played the second half at left-back (Image: Rich Story/Getty Images)
5. Rashford vs Gordon
Another interesting battle will be on the left flank, where Marcus Rashford will face Anthony Gordon, the man who could take that position at Barcelona. Rashford still hopes to join Barca on a permanent deal from Manchester United this summer after a successful loan spell, but a £69m deal for his England team-mate has sparked a possibility.
At home, both players can at best cut from the left flank or inside with their strong right foot, but it remains to be seen who Tuchel will appoint in this role. Rashford arrived in Florida early to train independently at Inter Miami’s facilities and is clearly keen to make an impression, but he had few chances to stand out against New Zealand.
Gordon impressed with his Spanish at Barça’s unveiling, but was not the main player in the second half. A late curling effort was easily handled and Jude Bellingham dominated the match.
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