England secured a 6-0 victory in a behind-closed-doors friendly against American side Miami FC, arranged by manager Thomas Tuchel less than 24 hours after their win over Costa Rica. The match was designed to increase playing time for squad members who had limited minutes in the previous game.
According to reports, Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick, including one impressive long-range strike. Jordan Henderson, Ethan Nwaneri and Rio Ngumoha also found the net, with Ngumoha's goal described as a strike from distance. Toney, Marc Guehi and Kobbie Mainoo were among those who impressed, and no injuries were reported during the match.
Tuchel explained earlier in the week that the match would not be a full 90 minutes, but rather 60 minutes or two halves of 30 or 25 minutes, to give minutes to players who did not feature against Costa Rica. Four young players—Ngumoha, Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Josh King—who have been training with the squad but will not be part of the World Cup, all played in the match. They will leave the camp this weekend before England head to their base in Kansas City.
Key players such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were rested following their involvement in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica, where goals from Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins secured victory. The goals from Watkins and Toney in the two games are positive news for England, as they look to reduce reliance on captain Harry Kane for goals.
England begin their World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Croatia in Dallas, followed by matches against Ghana on June 23 and Panama on June 27.
