England took the lead nine minutes into the first half in the friendly against Costa Rica, played this Wednesday (10) at the Inter&Co Stadium, in Orlando, United States. Declan Rice received the ball from Anthony Gordon and shot from inside the box. The ball deflected off the defense and found its way into the goal, leaving goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira unresponsive. The score is 1-0.
The game marks one of the last opportunities for the English team to adjust details before the 2026 World Cup, which will host the United States, Canada and Mexico. Costa Rica, in turn, uses the confrontation to gain momentum in preparation for the tournament.
Busy start with fouls and chances
In the first few minutes, referee Ekaterina Koroleva had to intervene. Reece James made a clear tackle and Manfred Ugalde made a tough tackle, both marked by fouls. In the sixth minute, Jude Bellingham took a risk from outside, but the ball hit a defender and went out for a corner.
Noni Madueke took the corner afterwards, but the Costa Rican defense cleared it away without any major problems. In the eighth minute, Harry Kane fell inside the box after a tackle, but the referee quickly dismissed calls for a penalty.
Featured female refereeing
Russian-American Ekaterina Koroleva, with experience in Concacaf and FIFA competitions, leads the match. Their presence reinforces the trend of including female referees in men’s national team games in international preparations.