Slow Start for England as Japan Wins 1-0

Preparations are in full swing. The World Cup will not kick off until the summer, but many national teams are playing friendlies to work their squads into shape and try different combinations of players. One such team is England, which endured a particularly unconvincing test on Tuesday evening after losing 1-0 to Japan.

Thomas Tuchel’s side fielded a number of stars, including Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon, but things did not go well against the “Samurai,” who were rewarded by a lone goal from Kaoru Mitoma, Japan’s Premier League representative.

Another strong team that failed to show its quality was the Netherlands, which finished with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Ecuador. The Oranje took an early lead through an own goal by William Pacho in the 3rd minute, but Enner Valencia levelled the match in the 24th minute. The Netherlands played with 10 men from the 12th minute after Denzel Dumfries was sent off with a straight red card.

Spain also took part in a warm-up match, and it too was left frustrated with a 0-0 draw against Egypt. La Roja dominated the match and enjoyed several good chances, but failed to find the net. Among other things, a header by Cristian Mosquera went just over the crossbar, and a powerful free kick by Alejandro Grimaldo was stopped by the bar. Spain attempted no fewer than 20 shots and saw Hamdi Fathi sent off in the 84th minute, but it was not enough to secure a win against an Egypt side missing Mohamed Salah.