England kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Group L.
Harry Kane twice put England in front in the first half through a retaken penalty and header either side of Martin Baturina’s equaliser, before Petar Musa snatched a second equaliser for the 2022 third-placed team in the fifth minute of first-half injury time.
Jude Bellingham then restored England’s lead with a 47th-minute finish before Marcus Rashford sealed victory with a 85th-minute strike from Bukayo Saka’s pass.
Kane post-match on UK broadcaster, ITV, praised manager, Thomas Tuchel for inspiring their second-half performance in “a game of two halves” after they endured a tough first half.
“Credit to the manager, he gave us a speech at half-time and said if we lose, we lose in our way and I think we saw that in the way we came out in the second half. We went full gas and they couldn’t live with it. Credit to everyone for the first game of the tournament.”
England now sit top of Group L before Ghana play Panama at midnight UK Time, whilst Croatia sat bottom.
Widely tipped for a title challenge at this World Cup, England made an initially sluggish start in Arlington, Dallas, to concede a corner but Josip Sutalo blazed Croatia’s first opportunity over the bar.
England however won a corner of their own after Kane’s eighth-minute shot was deflected from which Noni Madueke met the clearance, only to receive a high right-footed hook from Modric just inside the box as Croatia conceded a penalty.
Dominik Livakovic saved Kane’s first penalty down the middle with a dive correctly to his left but Josko Gvardiol was judged to had encroached as Kane struck his shot.
Kane however wasn’t denied the second time as Livakovic dived incorrectly to his right side, whilst the England captain fired his retake into the bottom right corner to put the Three Lions in front in the 12th minute.
Musa almost equalised three minutes later for Croatia but fired wide, whilst England’s Elliot Anderson saw a shot blocked from a corner-kick by Declan Rice.
England almost doubled their lead in the 31st minute as Madueke swung in a low cross yet Bellingham scrappily flicked his connection wide of his near-left corner.
That wasted chance was punished four minutes later as a pass was played to Sucic on the right side, but he selflessly laid off for Baturina to curl into the top left corner to equalise beyond a helpless Jordan Pickford.
England however restored their lead in the 42nd minute as Kane nodded Rice’s corner into the bottom left corner after he was left unmarked in the centre of the box.
Tuchel’s Three Lions however switched off defensively in the final minute of first-half injury time which allowed Ivan Perisic to tee up Musa with a knockdown header to rifle into the far-left bottom volley to snatch Croatia’s second equaliser.
England however had an immediate response lined up just over a minute into the second half as Bellingham pounced on Anderson’s forward pass and drove forward, before he struck a low finish into the far-bottom left corner to restore the Three Lions’ lead.
Nico O’Reilly saw two headers blocked by Livakovic who then denied a shot from Rice and Anthony Gordon’s rebound header following O’Reilly’s second header in the 56th minute.
Livakovic single-handedly kept Croatia in the game in the 57th minute as he twice blocked shots from Kane, then saved a 82nd minute shot from substitute, Djed Spence.
Pickford meanwhile made a 76th-minute outstretched block to deflect Marco Pasalic’s shot away from goal, before he saved Mateo Kovacic’s low strike eight minutes later.
Croatia’s wasted chances were punished in the 85th minute as neat play up England’s right saw the ball deflected loosely for Saka to gather and tee up Rashford unmarked on the left to bend into the far-bottom right corner to seal victory.
What’s Next?
England face Ghana in their second group match at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, on Tuesday 23 June at 4pm EDT (9pm BST).
Croatia meet Panama at BMO Field, Toronto, Canada that same day at 7pm EDT (00:00am BST, Wednesday 24 June).
Teams
England: Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, John Stones (Guehi 87′), Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice (Rogers 72′), Noni Madueke (Saka 72′), Jude Bellingham (Spence 80′), Anthony Gordon (Rashford 72′), Harry Kane
Substitutes: Dan Burn, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Jordan Henderson, Dean Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Jarell Quansah, Marcus Rashford, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka, Djed Spence, Ivan Toney, James Trafford, Ollie Watkins
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic (M.Pasalic 66′), Josko Gvardiol, Josip Stanisic, Luka Modric (Kovacic 58′), Petar Sucic, Ivan Perisic, Mario Pasalic (Kramaric 79′), Martin Baturina (Vlasic 78′), Petar Musa (Matanovic 66′)
Substitutes: Ante Budimir, Martin Erlic, Toni Fruk, Kristijan Jakic, Dominik Kotarski, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Igor Matanovic, Nikola Moro, Ivor Pandur, Marco Pasalic, Marin Pongracic, Luka Sucic, Nikola Vlasic, Duje Caleta-Car
Referee – Clement Turpin (France)
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