Ivan Toney Scores Hat‑Trick in England’s Behind‑Closed‑Doors Friendly

The short, controlled exhibition gave non‑starters match minutes and signalled Thomas Tuchel’s focus on managing workloads ahead of the next group game.

Overview

Hours after England’s 4-2 win over Croatia, Tuchel organised a short, behind-closed-doors friendly at the Swope Soccer Village to give fringe players match time.
Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick in the 5-1 win, his second consecutive three‑goal closed‑door display after a similar outing versus Miami FC.
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins also scored and only 13 players took part in a reduced-format game of two 25-minute halves while other squad members rested.
Trevoh Chalobah received a late call-up as injury cover after Tino Livramento was hurt in training and Tuchel left Harry Kane out of the exhibition as a precaution following cramp.
The fixtures reflect a deliberate load‑management approach that keeps fringe players sharp, preserves key starters and uses FIFA rules that allow late injury replacements ahead of Tuesday’s game with Ghana.