Thomas Tuchel saw his England side lose at Wembley for the first time as Japan handed them a 1-0 defeat in a friendly. The result served as a brutal reality check, with England yet to beat a team in the top 20 of the FIFA rankings under Tuchel. Japan, ranked 19th, outplayed the fourth-ranked England, raising concerns ahead of the World Cup.
Without injured captain Harry Kane, England looked pedestrian and toothless. Phil Foden started as a false nine but struggled, while Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers failed to provide balance. The formation was described as lopsided, with Japan exploiting space on England's right flank. Kaoru Mitoma scored the only goal after Palmer lost possession, with Ben White caught out of position.
England's best chance came from a Palmer set-piece, but shots were blocked. Tuchel made several changes, including Marcus Rashford, who made a difference but could not prevent defeat. The performance highlighted a lack of cohesion among England's attacking talent, with Foden and Palmer appearing unable to play together effectively.
With 78 days until England's World Cup opener against Croatia (ranked 11th), the loss to Japan is a wake-up call. Tuchel's side have failed to beat any top-20 team, and the defeat follows a draw with Uruguay and a loss to Senegal last summer.
