England suffered a disappointing defeat to Japan at Wembley, with the absence of captain Harry Kane once again highlighting their lack of attacking threat under head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma scored the decisive goal in the 23rd minute, finishing a swift counter-attack to secure a historic victory as Japan became the first Asian side to beat England.
Tuchel opted for a bold approach, deploying Phil Foden in a false nine role without a recognised striker. The experiment failed to deliver, with Foden substituted before the hour mark and replaced by Dominic Solanke after struggling to influence the game.
England’s performance lacked rhythm and cohesion, a consequence of the 10 changes Tuchel made to the side that drew with Uruguay. Japan looked sharper throughout and had already threatened before taking the lead, capitalising on a midfield error by Cole Palmer before Mitoma calmly finished past Jordan Pickford.
The goal also ended Pickford’s run of 10 consecutive clean sheets for England.
Midfielder Elliot Anderson was one of the few bright spots for the hosts, coming close to equalising with a curling effort that struck the crossbar. However, Japan remained the superior side and nearly doubled their lead, only for Pickford to deny Ritsu Doan with a sharp save.
Late efforts from substitutes offered England brief hope, with Marcus Rashford testing goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, while Harry Maguire saw a header cleared off the line by Yukinari Sugawara.
Despite the late pressure, England could not find a breakthrough, as Japan deservedly held on for a landmark victory that exposed significant concerns for Tuchel ahead of the World Cup.
Oluwagbemisola Babalola
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