England slipped to a 1-0 friendly defeat against Japan at Wembley Stadium, with Harry Kane missing through injury and Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma hitting the decisive goal. The result meant England finished this international window without a win, following the 1-1 draw against Uruguay, and increased scrutiny on England’s attack without the captain.
England’s forward line created pressure but lacked clear threat for long periods. The team produced 19 attempts yet generated only 0.99 expected goals and hit the target four times. There was no effort on target before half-time, something that had not happened in an England friendly since the 2017 meeting with Germany.
Three of England’s four shots on target came from corners during the closing 15
minutes, underlining how open-play chances were limited against organised opponents. England clearly missed Kane’s movement and finishing, but Thomas Tuchel stressed that dependence on a leading forward is natural for elite national teams facing well-drilled sides.
"Well, why would Argentina not rely on [Lionel] Messi or Portugal not rely on Cristiano Ronaldo? This is totally normal," said the England boss. Tuchel’s comment framed the debate around Kane’s importance, suggesting that leaning on a world-class striker fits within normal patterns for top international squads.
The defeat continued a difficult recent run for England in friendlies at Wembley. Since the beginning of 2024, England had won just one of six such matches at the stadium, drawing two and losing three. That contrasted with a strong period between 2014 and 2023, when England lost only one of 17 friendlies there, winning 12 and drawing four.
Mitoma’s strike also ended a long shutout sequence for first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Japan forward’s finish was the first goal conceded by Pickford for England since the match against Greece in October 2024. That effort stopped a run of 922 minutes without Pickford being beaten in international football for England.
Not our night, but plenty to learn from ahead of an exciting summer. Thank you for your support throughout this camp, #ThreeLions fans pic.twitter.com/4LdsgDTvyJEngland (@England) March 31, 2026
Tuchel pointed to tactical issues during the first half, particularly the lack of width in England’s structure. England narrowed the pitch in possession and struggled to stretch Japan. After the interval, England used wingers and full-backs more aggressively, created better openings, yet still failed to finish promising situations.
"Key figures left camp for us, and we saw that a bit. We lacked a punch. In the first half, we played way too narrow; we didn't want that, but we made the pitch too narrow for ourselves. In the second half, we were more dynamic, we used the width more with our wingers and full-backs, which is what we wanted to do the whole time. We took more risks and had chances, but we could not convert. For sure, it hurts. It's always painful to lose, and to lose at home hurts a lot. We got punished for not a lot, for one counter-attack in the first half. We need these matches; we know it is a tough opponent, and we had several players not available. A new formation again, we tried a lot of stuff, and we need to learn. "
England left this March window with lessons on chance creation, balance without Harry Kane and managing different systems. The defeat to Japan, added to the Uruguay draw and recent Wembley results, underlined where adjustments were still required, yet also gave Tuchel more information before the major summer tournament approached.
