World Cup: Tuchel encouraged by England’s display as Bellingham shines in win over Costa Rica
By Joel Masibo, June 11, 2026England manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance after they secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in their final warm-up fixture ahead of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday night, June 10, 2026.
The match in Orlando began an hour later than scheduled after heavy rainfall left the playing surface waterlogged. Once underway, however, England delivered a far more energetic and polished display than the one they produced against New Zealand last weekend.
An early strike from Declan Rice set the tone before Anthony Gordon converted from the penalty spot. Ollie Watkins added a late third goal to complete a dominant evening for the Three Lions, who controlled proceedings throughout. Gordon and Jude Bellingham, operating in more advanced positions, were among the standout performers.
Tuchel’s reflections
Reflecting on the performance, Tuchel said, “I wished for that; I demanded that. I said before the match we wanted to push it to the next level, from intensity, commitment, and cohesion, and we did that.”
The England coach noted that his squad continues to make positive strides as they adapt to conditions ahead of the tournament.
“We see the adaptation to the heat and we see things clicking, but we demanded it today from the players to take the next step and they did. The result takes care of itself, but we did it on a high level,” he said.
Although Tuchel recently suggested that England’s failure to lift the World Cup since 1966 makes it difficult to label them among the leading contenders, he was upbeat after Wednesday’s display.
“The work rate gives us a good feeling and intensity, and we can impose ourselves on the opponent, and the movement is up front and not running backwards,” he said.
Bellingham impresses
The German tactician also singled out Jude Bellingham for special praise following the midfielder’s influential performance.
“I wanted to see Jude in the combination today for the first time with Harry [Kane], Elliot [Anderson] and Declan [Rice] at the center of the game. I know what Morgan [Rogers] gives us there, I just saw it so many times. It was the first time for Jude, and he buys into these ideas. He has to and he loves to do it, and that’s part of our game.”
England’s preparations will continue with a behind-closed-doors practice match against Miami United on Thursday. They will then turn their attention to their World Cup group stage opener against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.