England are underway at the 2026 World Cup, and while it’s felt like we’ve waited a while for us to see Tuchel’s side arrive at the tournament, the opening 45 left something to be desired, before a stern talking to and a revitalised second half which put England in control of the game, and control of Group L with surely their toughest game out of the way and 3 points already on the board.

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Teams

England: Pickford, O’Reilly, Stones (Guehi 87′), Konsa, James, Rice (Rogers 72′), Anderson, Gordon (Rashford 72′), Bellingham (Spence 79′), Madueke (Saka 72′), Kane

Subs: Henderson, Trafford, Burn, Quansah, Eze, Henderson, Mainoo, Toney, Watkins

Croatia: Livakovic, Gvardiol, Vuskovic (Pasalic 66′), Sutalo, Perisic, Pasalic (Kramaric 78′), Modric (Kovacic 58′), Stanisic, Baturina (Vlasic 78′), Sucic, Musa (Matanovic 66′)

Subs: Kotarski, Pandur, Caleta-Car, Pongracic, Erlic, Jakic, Sucic, Moro, Fruk, Budimir

England 4-2 Croatia

England launched their 2026 World Cup campaign in spectacular fashion with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday night. Harry Kane led from the front with a superb first-half brace before Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the win after the break in an end-to-end Group L contest. Croatia twice fought back through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, but Thomas Tuchel’s side showed their attacking quality to pull away in an impressive second-half display that earned a deserved three points.

England made a bright start and were rewarded after just 12 minutes when Noni Madueke burst into the penalty area and was brought down by Luka Modrić. Kane’s first penalty was brilliantly saved by Dominik Livaković, but the Croatian goalkeeper had strayed off his line and the spot-kick was ordered to be retaken. The England captain kept his composure, sending the second attempt into the same corner to give the Three Lions the lead. Croatia gradually settled into the contest and levelled in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina, whose curling effort from the edge of the area flew in via the fingertips of Jordan Pickford. England responded brilliantly before half-time as Declan Rice’s pinpoint corner was met by Kane, who powered a header beyond Livaković in the 42nd minute to score his second of the evening and equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals for England. However, there was still time for Croatia to hit back again in first-half stoppage time when Ivan Perišić nodded Mario Pašalić’s pass into the path of Petar Musa, who volleyed emphatically into the roof of the net to make it 2-2 at the interval.

England regained the lead within two minutes of the restart. Elliot Anderson threaded an excellent pass into Jude Bellingham, who drove confidently into the penalty area before firing a low finish across Livaković and into the far corner to restore England’s advantage. The goal sparked England into life, with Bellingham dictating play and Kane dropping deep to orchestrate attacks. Croatia struggled to contain the pressure as Livaković produced a string of outstanding saves to deny Anthony Gordon, Bellingham and substitute Djed Spence, preventing the scoreline from becoming more emphatic. Tuchel’s substitutions injected fresh energy, with Bukayo Saka immediately stretching Croatia’s tiring defence after replacing Madueke.

England finally put the contest beyond doubt five minutes from time. Saka drove into the right side of the penalty area before slipping a perfectly weighted pass into Marcus Rashford, who cut inside and calmly drilled a low finish beyond Livaković to make it 4-2 and cap an outstanding attacking performance. Croatia had shown plenty of quality in possession and punished England’s defensive lapses twice, but they simply could not cope with the pace, movement and intensity of Tuchel’s side after the break. Kane’s clinical brace earned him the Player of the Match award, while Bellingham and Anderson were outstanding in midfield as England began their World Cup journey with an entertaining victory that sent a clear warning to the rest of the tournament.

Talking Points

The first major talking point has to be the half-time change that we saw from England as they looked revitalised heading into the second 45. In an interview heading into the break, Tuchel’s assistant Anthony Barry was scathing of England and explained how they looked to be showing little of the game plan they’d prepared for. England had looked sloppy, holding the ball deep in defence and misplacing passes at key moments. However the half-time speech from Tuchel sparked a quick turnaround for England as they got back in front just 2 minutes after the break, and didn’t let the game slip from there. Several players praised the half-time team-talk from their manager as a huge influence on getting back into the game.

The second talking point has to be England’s talismanic figure of Harry Kane, whose first half brace gave England a strong start to the game and ensured the second half could play out the way it did. Kane’s first penalty miss may have some fans worried for later stages in the tournament, but he shook that off quickly to convert the re-take, and his second puts him level with Gary Lineker for England World Cup goals, a record he will surely be looking to smash past later in the tournament.

Finally, the result puts in England in full control of Group L. With the extended format of the competition, a win in the first game all-but sees England through, but they will feel confident that after getting their toughest opponent on paper out of the way, they can use the other games against Ghana and Panama to continue this momentum and possibly rotate to avoid any major injury or fitness concerns.