England vs Japan

Japan made history at Wembley on Tuesday night, beating England 1-0 in their final friendly before Thomas Tuchel names his World Cup squad. Kaoru Mitoma struck the only goal in the 23rd minute to hand the Blue Samurai their first ever victory over the Three Lions. Mitoma pounced after dispossessing Cole Palmer, with Keito Nakamura threading a clever pass to the Brighton winger, who arrived at the far post and fired home with his right foot. It was clinical finishing on the counter from a Japan side happy to sit deep and soak up pressure. England dominated possession at 70-30 and peppered the Japan goal with 19 shots, but could not find a way through. The absence of Harry Kane, ruled out with a minor training knock, was keenly felt as the hosts drew boos from a sold-out 79,233 crowd at the final whistle. With the World Cup on the horizon, Tuchel has plenty to ponder after back-to-back underwhelming displays at Wembley. For Japan, it was a statement result that will send them to the tournament brimming with confidence.