Thomas Tuchel left Tampa with three points but not much satisfaction after England scraped past New Zealand 1-0 in a disjointed World Cup warm-up at the Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

Harry Kane provided the decisive moment just before half-time, instinctively turning home a Djed Spence cross to settle a scrappy contest played in sweltering Florida heat of around 35 degrees.

Tuchel frustrated by first-half 'freestyle'

Tuchel deployed two entirely different XIs across the two halves — a deliberate rotation to give his squad minutes ahead of the tournament — but the first-half display left him visibly unimpressed.

"The first half we were out of positions and it was a bit too much freestyle," Tuchel said. "That slowed our game down and made it difficult for counter-press because we were not in the positions that we wanted to be when we started attacking."

The England head coach was more encouraged by what he saw after the break. "I think we had more bite in the second half, were more aggressive on and off the ball, created a bit more," he added. "We played more from our positions and that's why we played with more speed."

Opposition coach warns England must raise their level

New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley — himself English — acknowledged his side were always likely to be on the wrong end of the result, but suggested England cannot afford to carry the same performance into the tournament.

"England were good today, but they need to be better to go and win the World Cup than they were today, even though they won the game," Bazeley said.

Pitch and conditions add to the difficulties

Tuchel pointed to a combination of factors to explain the tepid display, including a heavily uneven playing surface and the intense humidity. "It was very difficult to play on," he said. "It was very uneven — difficult to move the ball quickly. When you have the ball for the majority of the match, it doesn't help you."

On the positive side, he was relieved no players picked up injuries and welcomed the exposure to extreme heat ahead of a tournament where such conditions are expected to feature.

Bright spots for England

Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett noted that Tuchel's downbeat mood may have been partly tactical — a way of sending a message to his squad. Dorsett highlighted Djed Spence as particularly impressive, and reported that Marcus Rashford looked sharp and purposeful throughout his stint. Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, offered a glimpse of his class after coming off the bench.

England face Costa Rica next on Wednesday before beginning their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia on June 17.