LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Japan deservedly beat a lacklustre and Harry Kane-less England 1-0 at Wembley on Tuesday in the hosts' last friendly before manager Thomas Tuchel announces his World Cup squad in May.
Kaoru Mitoma, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, scored in the 23rd minute to end goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's run of clean sheets for England dating back to October 2024.
It was a first win for fellow World Cup hopefuls Japan over England in four encounters and the second defeat for the world's fourth-ranked side in 12 matches under their German coach.
Captain and prolific scorer Kane was ruled out before the start after picking up an injury in training and England rang the changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Uruguay in a friendly last Friday.
Japan, who also beat Scotland 1-0 last Saturday, have now won their last five games.
BOOS AT HALFTIME AFTER LIMP ENGLAND DISPLAY
England midfielder Cole Palmer was the culprit for losing the ball to Mitoma at the halfway line, with Japan then surging forward on the counter-attack and the winger sidefooting home from Keito Nakamura's cross.
"For sure it hurts. It's always painful to lose, and to lose at home hurts a lot," said Tuchel.
"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, we had several players not available. A new formation again, we tried stuff, and we need to learn."
Elliot Anderson came close to an equaliser with a shot that bounced off the bar in the 34th but the 18th-ranked visitors could have gone 2-0 up when a deflected effort pinged the woodwork for a corner in the 42nd.
There were boos at halftime after a lame display by the England players, supposedly fighting for a place on the plane to the World Cup, who failed to step up in their last game on home soil before the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Phil Foden, playing centrally as a false nine rather than as a winger, made little impact in the first half and was substituted in the second.
Tuchel stuck with his starting lineup until making a quadruple change in the 59th minute, by which time Japan could have been further ahead.
Ritsu Doan squandered one good opportunity, shooting rather than passing to an unmarked teammate, and Junya Ito missed another.
England substitute Marcus Rashford had a chance to equalise in the 78th, but shot straight at keeper Zion Suzuki, and Jarrod Bowen fired wide on the rebound as the hosts picked up the tempo but still missed the mark.
Centre-back Marc Guehi, taken off late in the second half and replaced by Harry Maguire, had stepped up as captain after Kane was rested as a precaution following an issue in training.
"We actually had a lot of chances today from set pieces and created what we could. But we couldn't find the back of the net." said Guehi of a match with only three England shots on target.
Tuchel said Kane's absence had come "basically out of nothing".
"It just happened. He had to step out of training yesterday after 15 minutes," the German told ITV television before a game that featured the absent captain only on the cover of the official programme.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
