England wrapped up their World Cup preparations with a routine victory over Costa Rica in Orlando as Thomas Tuchel's side now look ahead to their opening fixture against Croatia
00:07, 11 Jun 2026
Declan Rice - Anthony Gordon
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Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon linked up for England's opener
England enjoyed a routine run around against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday in their final friendly match before starting their World Cup campaign.
Thomas Tuchel's side followed up their 1-0 win over New Zealand last Saturday by again dominating a lesser opponent as Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins struck in either half as the Three Lions won 3-0.
While Costa Rica, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, didn't put up a technical fight, it proved to be a physical test for Tuchel's side with the 51st world-ranked team certainly putting themselves about. Here, the Daily Star Sport rates the England starting 11.
Anthony Gordon put in an impressive performance to stake his claim to start vs Croatia
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Anthony Gordon put in an impressive performance to stake his claim to start vs Croatia
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Jordan Pickford 6 - Mostly unchallenged, except when his own poor clearances created extra work for him.
Reece James 7 - Solid and prepared, he consistently positioned himself well and is evidently England's top choice at right back.
John Stones 7 - Outstanding with the ball, calm and composed. This was a strong performance that confirmed his fitness.
Ezri Konsa 7 - Often acted as the final line of defence due to his speed and excellent game reading skills.
Nico O'Reilly 7 - He is undoubtedly England's best option at left back, though he hasn't quite replicated his Man City form.
Declan Rice 7 - Scored, delivered superb set-pieces and simply picked up where he left off for Arsenal.
Elliot Anderson 8 - Demonstrated why he's at the heart of a £100m transfer battle. Once again, he was outstanding and unfazed.
Jude Bellingham 8 - An impressive, dynamic midfield performance which proved why he must be England's starting No10.
Noni Madueke 6 - Responsible for one of England's most memorable misses. With the goal wide open, he struck the post.
Anthony Gordon 8 - Extremely active and razor sharp, the left winger made an excellent case to start against Croatia.
Harry Kane 7 - Surely needs to remain more upfront rather than constantly dropping deep. However, he does appear sharp.
Substitues:
Spence, for James, 63 mins
Eze, for Rice, 63 mins
Rogers, for Kane, 63 mins
Saka, for Madueke, 63 mins
Guehi, for Stones, 64 mins
D Henderson, for Pickford, 62 mins
Mainoo for Anderson, 71 mins
Rashford for Gordon, 71 mins
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Burn for O'Reilly, 71 mins
Watkins for Bellingham, 71 mins
Quansah for Konsa, 71 mins