sports
Mitoma pounces as Japan beat England to give Tuchel World Cup headache
It is not a question that Thomas Tuchel wants to entertain at the World Cup this summer but one he had a run at here in what was supposed to be England’s grand Wembley send-off. Can the team thrive against good opposition without Harry Kane? The answer was played out across an increasingly frustrating 90 minutes. It was no.
TL;DR
- England lost 1-0 to Japan in a pre-World Cup friendly, with Kaoru Mitoma scoring the only goal.
- The team lacked cutting edge and creativity, particularly in the absence of Harry Kane.
- Thomas Tuchel experimented with Phil Foden as a central attacker but the team struggled out of possession.
- Jordan Pickford's clean sheet record ended at 922 minutes.
- Despite late pressure from set pieces, England could not find an equalizer.