England got their World Cup warm-up campaign underway with a 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa, Florida, and honestly, it was the kind of result that tells you just enough without really telling you anything at all. One goal, clean sheet, job done. Whether that means England are ready to go deep in a World Cup is a very different conversation.
The goal came from Harry Kane, which will surprise absolutely nobody. A header, which will also surprise nobody. The man is basically a walking guarantee when it comes to finding the net for his country, and whatever you think about how things have gone at club level over the years, his England record is beyond criticism. He turns up, he scores, he goes home. Simple as that.
The opposition, to be fair, were New Zealand. This is not meant as a slight on the Kiwis, but England were expected to win this one comfortably, so a single goal victory is the kind of scoreline that keeps the nation in that familiar state of mild anxiety. England fans have been here before. They know how this works. Encouraging warm-up, tournament starts, everyone gets excited, something goes wrong in a quarter-final. That is the cycle. Hopefully this time it is different.
What the game did do is give Gareth Southgate's successor, or whoever is in charge at this point, a chance to look at players in a competitive-ish environment ahead of the tournament. Tampa is an interesting choice of location too, given the World Cup is being held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, so the players getting used to the heat and the travel is actually a smart bit of planning.
Overall this was a perfectly fine start. Not thrilling, not worrying, just fine. England won, Kane scored, and the World Cup dream stays alive for another few weeks before the real tests begin. There is plenty of football still to be played before any judgements get made.
Let me know your thoughts.