England sweep past Costa Rica as Gordon stakes his claim

England cruise past Costa Rica 3–0

Your final dress rehearsal is in the books, and it went exactly how you'd want. England beat Costa Rica 3–0 on Wednesday night, with Anthony Gordon the standout performer in a display Declan Rice called a "top performance" (1).

Gordon made his case loudly for a starting spot against Croatia, scoring and causing problems all night (5) (8). Ollie Watkins and Harry Kane were also on the scoresheet as Tuchel's side looked sharp, fluid, and ready (10). The win sends England into the World Cup with serious momentum.

Tuchel: 'very proud' of the performance

Thomas Tuchel didn't hide his satisfaction after the final whistle. "Very proud," he said, praising the intensity and the application his players showed (1) (2).

The German coach has spent this camp drilling his philosophy, and by all accounts, it's clicking. England pressed with purpose, created overloads, and kept Costa Rica quiet throughout. Tuchel now faces the kind of problem managers love: too many players in form.

Selection dilemmas ahead of Croatia

Now comes the hard part. Gordon was electric on the left, but Marcus Rashford is also pushing hard. Jude Bellingham at number 10? Bukayo Saka's place on the right? Tuchel has real decisions to make before the Croatia opener (3) (4).

The player ratings from the Costa Rica game suggest Gordon did everything he could, while questions linger over whether Bellingham has done enough to lock down his preferred role (7). The competition in this squad is fierce, and that's exactly how Tuchel wants it.

Fan reactions

Fans on Reddit were buzzing during the Costa Rica warm-up, with the match thread lively despite a kick-off delay. The mood is unmistakably positive – Gordon's name came up repeatedly, and plenty of supporters feel England look genuinely ready for the tournament. Over on the Chelsea subreddit, there was pride in seeing Reece James start in the final tune-up before the World Cup link.