JAKARTA - Bukayo Saka winger was declared recovered and played when England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in a friendly match ahead of the 2026 World Cup at the Inter&Co Stadium, Ireland, Thursday, June 11, 2026 WIB.
It's a relief for England. Saka, who suffered a tendon injury and has not been able to train during the 2026 World Cup preparations, has finally recovered.
Previously, Saka was still in doubt to appear in the trial match. Moreover, manager Thomas Tuchel then chose to field Noni Madueke, Saka's colleague at Arsenal.
However, Tuchel then brought in Saka who replaced Madueke. This is a signal that Saka has recovered and has the chance to be a starter in England's first match against Croatia in Group L of the 2026 World Cup.
The England vs Costa Rica friendly match was delayed for an hour due to a hurricane. After the situation calmed down and the weather was calm again, the match could only begin.
England, who rely on striker Harry Kane as a centre forward, are supported by Madueke and Anthony Gordon who play on the right. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham occupies a position behind Kane.
However, midfielder Declan Rice, who has just joined the team, is the one who opened the Three Lions' victory. The player who led Arsenal to win the English Premier League after waiting 22 years broke into Costa Rica's goal when the match was only nine minutes.
Ahead 1-0, England, who dominated the game, were more aggressive in pressing the opponent's defense. They also had the opportunity to add a goal after being awarded a penalty after Gordon was brought down by defender Shawn Johnson towards the end of the first half.
It's just that after reviewing the incident via VAR, the referee canceled the penalty because there was no serious foul. Gordon fell due to minimal physical contact so there was no need for a penalty.
In the second half, England, who had 80% of the ball, continued to play offensively. The many substitutions made by Tuchel did not affect the team's performance. The 1966 world champion continued to show dominance.
However, England had to wait until the 68th minute when they got a penalty. This time there was no change in the decision after defender Darril Araya touched the ball in Erebechi Eze's kick. The referee pointed to the white spot and the execution was completed by Gordon.
Furthermore, striker Ollie Watkins who entered as a substitute player strengthened England's advantage. He scored in the 87th minute which changed the score to 3-0. The score remained until the end of the match.
This victory is an important capital for England when playing in the 2026 World Cup. In the first match of Group L, England has to meet the heavy opponent Croatia on June 17, 2026 local time.
Rice is optimistic about facing the first match because they have been able to adapt to the hot weather in the United States, which is one of the hosts of the World Cup.
"We played well in this game. Everyone, including those who were brought on as substitutes, showed their best performance. This is a good last game before we start [the World Cup battle]," said Rice.
"We have also been able to adapt. In my opinion, the hot weather is not a problem for us. During the first week, we have been able to adapt," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
