Harry Kane scored his 79th international goal to help England beat New Zealand 1-0. This friendly match was part of England’s World Cup preparations, but it was not very exciting in the Florida heat on Saturday.
Kane scored just before halftime, flicking in a cross from Djed Spence. England struggled to secure a win against a team ranked 81 places lower than them.
New Zealand had lost 4-0 to Haiti just a few days earlier. But they found it tough to create chances in their first match in the hot weather in the U.S.
Coach Thomas Tuchel used two completely different lineups for each half. But there was not much to learn from his choices with England’s first World Cup game against Croatia coming up on June 10.
Marcus Rashford had a good chance but shot wide from the edge of the box.
Kane scored after a well-placed in-swinging cross from Spence, who played well at left-back.
Ivan Toney replaced Kane at halftime as Tuchel made 11 changes.
Toney thought he had earned a penalty but the referee ruled he was offside, which saved New Zealand.
England controlled the game but could not extend their lead, while New Zealand focused on keeping the score low.
Even though England has not won a major tournament in 60 years, they are among the favorites for the World Cup. They have reached at least the quarter-finals in their last four tournaments.
In Group L, England will also play against Ghana and Panama.
New Zealand will face Iran, Belgium, and Egypt in Group G.
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