England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their opening Group L match of the 2026 World Cup in Dallas, with a dominant second-half performance proving decisive after a tense first half.
Harry Kane scored twice for England, including a retaken penalty and a header from a Declan Rice corner, equalling Gary Lineker's record for goals scored by an England player at World Cup finals. Jude Bellingham added a goal to re-establish England's lead in the second half, while Marcus Rashford sealed victory late on as a substitute.
The match proved dramatic in its opening stages. Croatia, ranked 11th in the world and the highest-ranked pot two nation in the tournament, equalled twice before halftime through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa. England's defending was described as overly open and generous during a seesaw first half that ended level.
The turning point came after Thomas Tuchel's half-time address. Kane revealed the manager's key message: "He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and let's go. He said what's the worst that can happen? Show the world who we can be." Bellingham confirmed the speech's impact, noting "it wasn't one of those where it was a big drama or standing up and shouting; it was what the team needed. We have a mature group with great leaders in there; everyone knew the level we had to get to."
England's second-half transformation was striking. "We came out in the second half full gas and they couldn't live with it, and that's the level we have to set in every game," Kane said. "The way we controlled the game once we went ahead, we never really looked like we were in danger and then scored on the counterattack."
Tuchel acknowledged his players had shown signs of nerves despite their early success. "Sometimes if you want to get it so perfectly right, you sometimes want it too much and you overthink it," he explained. "In the end, in doubt, we took the decision to go backwards, on and off the ball. We played way too many passes backwards, we played way too many back to our goalkeeper. It took us a while to find our confidence."
The manager also confirmed that midfielder Declan Rice was substituted as a precaution after feeling discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring, though Rice reassured Tuchel afterwards that the issue appeared minor.
England's victory puts them in a strong position heading into their remaining group stage matches. The performance demonstrated the attacking capability that has sometimes proved elusive in past tournaments, with the team displaying what observers described as a Premier League style of aggressive, attacking play throughout the second half.