England vs Japan LIVE: Friendly result, latest updates and fan reaction | OneFootball

Harry Kane misses out injured as Three Lions lose final game before World Cup squad selection

England’s World Cup preparations took a blow in a historic 1-0 defeat by Japan on Tuesday night. The Three Lions lost to a team from Asia for the first time at a stunned Wembley, where the home side were booed off by disgruntled fans just four days after their low-key 1-1 draw with Uruguay at the same venue. It was certainly not the performance Thomas Tuchel was looking for in the final game before he names his 26-man squad for this summer’s World Cup finals in May.

Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma started and finished a ruthless counter-attack in the first half for Japan, dispossessing Cole Palmer before then confidently slotting past Jordan Pickford. It was to prove the only goal of the friendly, with Elliot Anderson and Ayase Ueda both hitting the crossbar. Pickford and opposite number Zion Suzuki each made several saves but it was not until late on that England really rallied themselves in search of an elusive equaliser, with substitute Harry Maguire seeing a header cleared off the line.

England were rocked ahead of kick-off by an injury to captain Harry Kane that ruled him out of a squad already missing the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, with Jude Bellingham not risked off the bench. Follow England vs Japan live below!