Tuchel hails England's 'tone-setting' 3-0 win over Costa Rica as World Cup countdown begins

England closed out their pre-tournament preparations with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Tuesday, with Thomas Tuchel declaring his squad had “set the tone” for the World Cup after a performance that visibly lifted the head coach ahead of his first international tournament.

Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and substitute Ollie Watkins were the scorers in what Tuchel described as an excellent and determined display — one that built convincingly on Saturday’s 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa. The result was arguably flattering to Costa Rica, who were fortunate to keep the margin at three.

The occasion was not without its complications. A thunderstorm swept across Orlando before kick-off, delaying the start by an hour and raising doubts about whether the match would go ahead at all. The Inter&Co Stadium surface held up, and Tuchel was quick to frame the disruption as a useful exercise in adaptability.

“In hindsight, it was good for us to have a bit of a delay, so we could even adapt to that and see if it affects us,” he said. “The group was amazing. We were not distracted, we didn’t lose our focus, and we had an excellent and determined performance from start to finish.”

Tuchel acknowledged that the camp had carried the feel of a pre-season trip until now, and that he had deliberately held back on ratcheting up the pressure. That changed on Tuesday, with the manager asking his players to step up in intensity — a request they answered.

“I think we set the tone today in the meeting and the players were ready to follow, to have the next step in intensity and the way we play,” he said. “I felt today the energy in the stadium was amazing and I thought, ‘OK, if we can really play like this and grow into the tournament and have this kind of cohesion and brotherhood and team spirit that we showed today, then we will have an amazing connection with the fans.’”

England, who reached the Euro 2024 final before losing to Spain, open their World Cup campaign in Group L against Croatia next Wednesday. Before then, they face a behind-closed-doors friendly against Miami FC — a chance for fringe players to build minutes — before a day off and the journey to their tournament base in Kansas City on Saturday.

For Tuchel, the anticipation is personal as much as professional. “This will hopefully be an amazing experience because it’s the first time for me and it’s a World Cup, and it’s coming,” he said. “The tension will grow but normally the stuff that I personally enjoy the most — then you feel that you’re alive.”