Four key takeaways from England’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica ahead of the World Cup | OneFootball

England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in a friendly at Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday as they continued their preparations for the World Cup.

Declan Rice gave the Three Lions an early lead before Antony Gordon and Ollie Watkins sealed the victory in the second half.

Read on as we look at four things we learned from the fixture.

England produced a dominant performance

Thomas Tuchel’s side were dominant throughout the fixture, showing significant improvement from their 1-0 win over New Zealand.

They bossed possession, created five big chances and registered 28 shots. Costa Rica mustered just one shot – underlining their dominance.

Midfield duo impress again

Rice and Elliot Anderson were impressive again in Tuchel’s two-man central midfield pairing.

Anderson stood out in the first half, with and without the ball. He looked untroubled by the uncertainty surrounding his future at Nottingham Forest.

Rice was also excellent, proving to be a creative outlet and advancing into dangerous positions, one of which led to his goal.

Jude Bellingham sends a strong message to Tuchel

Tuchel has challenged Bellingham to fight for a starting berth. The Real Madrid star is contending with Morgan Rogers for the number ten role.

Bellingham was influential, creating a big chance for Noni Madueke in the first half. He was involved in the build-up that led to the second goal. He particularly combined well with Harry Kane and Anderson.

Antony Gordon makes a strong case for the left-wing role

Gordon proved to be a handful for the Costa Rica defence before his substitution, making a strong push to start ahead of Marcus Rashford against Croatia.

His brilliance led to the opening goal, and he took his penalty well. Nobody carried the ball more than the new Barcelona man.