Gordon & Rice Shine as England Thrash Costa Rica 3-0 in Storm-Delayed World Cup Warm-Up

England are heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the back of their best performance under Thomas Tuchel. A brilliant Anthony Gordon, a commanding Declan Rice, and a composed Ollie Watkins combined to deliver a thoroughly dominant 3-0 victory over Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on June 10, 2026 — even after a severe thunderstorm delayed kick-off by a full hour. The Three Lions look sharp, hungry, and ready.

England vs Costa Rica 3-0 Highlights — Three Lions Send a World Cup Warning

After storms battered Orlando and flooded the Inter&Co Stadium pitch, England were forced to wait — but they certainly made up for lost time. From the moment the whistle blew, Tuchel’s side were relentless — pressing high, moving fast, and dismantling Costa Rica with a level of intensity that was markedly better than Saturday’s flat 1-0 win over New Zealand.

Match Summary:

Pre-Match Storm Drama — Lightning Delays England’s World Cup Send-Off

Before a ball was even kicked, nature had its say. A ferocious thunderstorm swept through Orlando, dumping heavy rain on the Inter&Co Stadium, flooding the goalmouth and forcing a one-hour delay to kick-off. It is, as Tuchel himself noted post-match, exactly the kind of weather disruption England may face again during the tournament in North America.

To their credit, England barely blinked. When the storm passed and the sprinklers — somewhat ironically — came back on to prepare the pitch, Tuchel’s players walked out looking sharp, focused, and ready for business. Roy Keane on ITV said he noticed “a good urgency from England that I enjoyed” — and that urgency was visible from the very first minute.

Anthony Gordon Goal vs Costa Rica — Man of the Match Performance

If there was one player who made Thomas Tuchel’s team selection decisions both easier and harder last night, it was Anthony Gordon.

The new Barcelona winger was electric from the first whistle — giving Costa Rica right-back Shawn Johnson the most torrid evening of his life, repeatedly burning past him with pace and directness. He was the catalyst for the opener, bursting to the byline and cutting the ball back for Rice in the 9th minute. He was the penalty taker when Harry Kane was substituted, stepping up with ice-cold composure to smash it into the top corner and make it 2-0 in the 68th minute.

Gordon’s post-match quote summed up the man perfectly: “I was buzzing H [Kane] was off. I love penalties and I love the pressure of it.”

Player of the Match. Rated 7.67 by BBC Sport. The debate over Gordon vs Rashford for the left-wing spot against Croatia just got very one-sided.

📺 Watch the full match highlights: England vs Costa Rica 3-0 — Official Highlights

England vs Costa Rica — Goal-by-Goal Breakdown

9′ — Declan Rice opens the scoring. Fresh from being named England vice-captain, Rice needed just nine minutes to make his mark. Gordon burst down the left, drove to the byline, and cut the ball back — Rice’s first-time left-foot shot took a deflection off a Costa Rica defender and nestled into the bottom corner. His seventh England goal and a perfect start.

68′ — Anthony Gordon penalty. Tuchel rolled on six substitutes at the hour mark, keeping Bellingham on and pushing him further forward. The Real Madrid man danced through challenges on the left side of the box and teed up Eberechi Eze — whose goal-bound shot was handled. Gordon stepped up in Kane’s absence and rifled it into the top-left corner with absolute authority.

87′ — Ollie Watkins heads home. The substitute came agonisingly close earlier, firing wide one-on-one with the keeper — before making amends three minutes from time. Morgan Rogers’ curling effort was parried by the goalkeeper straight into Watkins’ path, and the Aston Villa striker made absolutely no mistake with a close-range header. 3-0, game over, job done.

England World Cup 2026 Preparation — Tuchel’s Side Look Ready

Thomas Tuchel was visibly satisfied after the final whistle: “We did very well and we deserved to win. The attitude, the energy, the intensity was on a very high level. Tonight makes my mind very calm — we are absolutely on the right way.”

And there is plenty to be calm about. Bellingham looked sharp and dangerous in his preferred No.10 role — this was the first time Bellingham, Kane, Rice, and Elliot Anderson had started together under Tuchel, and the combination looked genuinely exciting. Declan Rice, vice-captain and engine of this side, showed no ill-effects from his late arrival at camp following the Champions League final.

The one note of concern? Jordan Pickford had two nervy moments with the ball at his feet — the kind of lapses that could prove costly in knockout football.

England play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Miami FC before their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Croatia in Dallas on June 17. On the evidence of last night, they go into that game as a team firing on all cylinders.

Croatia have been warned.

For full England World Cup 2026 news, match reports and live coverage, visit fawanewss.co.uk. Full World Cup squads, groups and fixtures at the official FIFA website.