Kane heads England to narrow World Cup warm-up win against New Zealand

The match served largely as a glorified training game, focused on acclimatisation and reconnecting with Thomas Tuchel’s principles, and the win was welcome after the stodge of the March internationals that included a draw with Uruguay and a loss to Japan. With the temperature at 33C and humidity about 40%, Tuchel split his squad and both XIs were too good for New Zealand, the lowest-ranked team at the tournament.

He will have wanted a larger scoreline, particularly after New Zealand’s 4-0 defeat to Haiti, but one goal was enough. Harry Kane supplied the decisive moment, taking his England tally to 79 goals from 113 caps with a deft, flicked header in first-half stoppage time.

The captain’s season numbers remain striking: 61 goals for Bayern Munich from 51 appearances and six in six for his country. Tuchel’s first-half setup saw Jarell Quansah at right-back, Ollie Watkins on the right wing while Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke had not yet joined, Morgan Rogers in the No 10 role and Jude Bellingham held back.

harry kane, england, new zealand, thomas tuchel, world cup, warm-up, bayern munich, jarell quansah, jude bellingham, bukayo saka