New Zealand’s All Whites were narrowly beaten 1-0 by England in Tampa, Florida, in their final warm-up match before the World Cup begins next week. England captain Harry Kane scored the only goal late in first-half injury time. His clever flicked header gave England the lead in hot conditions.
The All Whites had to defend for much of the early part of the match. Finn Surman and Michael Boxall worked hard to deal with crosses and long-range shots. Goalkeeper Max Crocombe also made important saves, including stopping Kane with a close-range header.
New Zealand did create a few chances of their own. Eli Just sent in a cross but could not find a team-mate, while Matt Garbett forced England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into a good save. England changed their whole team at half-time, bringing on fresh players for the second half.
England continued to attack and Dan Burn hit the post after a corner. A possible penalty for England was checked by VAR after Matt Garbett challenged Ivan Toney, but Toney was ruled offside. Although the All Whites did not score, their strong defending may give them confidence before their first World Cup match against Iran on June 16.
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