Without Kane, England lose friendly to Japan | OneFootball

England finished the FIFA international break without a win. After drawing against Uruguay, the English hosted Japan this Tuesday and lost 1-0 at Wembley. The home side was without Kane, who was rested after feeling pain in his foot. Brighton’s Mitoma scored the only goal of the match.

Now, both teams await the next FIFA international break to complete their preparations for the World Cup. England is in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. Japan, meanwhile, will face the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden in Group F.

Match summary

 ENGLAND 0 x 1 JAPAN

 Competition: Friendly  Venue: Wembley  Date: March 31, 2026 (Tuesday)  Time: 3:45 p.m. (Brasília time)

Goals

How the match went

The opening stages of the first half were evenly balanced. Japan took the lead in the 23rd minute, when Mitoma made a great individual play, passed to Nakamura, who returned the ball for the attacking midfielder to fire a low shot into the net.

Trailing on the scoreboard, England pushed forward in the second half. Despite the pressure, the home side could not break through Japan’s defense. Their best chance came in the 44th minute, when Garner crossed and Maguire headed goalward, but Watanabe blocked it.

Upcoming matches

Both teams still have to confirm their respective friendlies for the next FIFA international break.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.