England secured a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up friendly at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday. Captain Harry Kane scored the only goal with a late first-half header. The match served as preparation ahead of England's tournament opener against Croatia on June 17.
England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed mixed feelings about the performance. He praised the second half for better positional play and speed but criticized the first half as too freestyle and lacking structure. Tuchel noted the team played too many long balls and crosses instead of following their training patterns. Kane downplayed concerns about the Florida heat after temperatures reached 33 degrees. He said the squad has adapted well during their training camp and that the conditions would not be an issue by the time the World Cup starts. England fielded two different lineups in each half to manage workloads. The team will play another friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday before beginning group-stage matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
