England began their 2026 World Cup campaign in style with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas, as Harry Kane struck twice and second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford secured all three points for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The Three Lions produced a dazzling attacking display to top Group L, although defensive lapses allowed Croatia to twice fight their way back into the contest before England took control after the interval.
England captain Kane once again demonstrated his importance to the national team, opening the scoring from a retaken penalty before heading home from a Declan Rice corner to restore England’s advantage later in the first half.
Despite England’s dominance, Croatia responded with goals from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa. Baturina capitalised after a slip from John Stones, while Musa finished off a well-worked move after Ivan Perisic nodded a chipped pass into his path, leaving the teams level at 2-2 at the break.
England emerged for the second half with renewed intensity and regained the lead almost immediately. Bellingham surged forward from the right before driving a precise finish into the far corner just two minutes after the restart.
Tuchel’s men continued to pile pressure on the Croatian defence, creating chance after chance and finishing the match with 22 attempts on goal. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced a series of impressive saves to keep his side in contention, but England’s relentless attacking threat eventually proved too much.
Substitutes Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford combined late in the game to put the result beyond doubt, with Rashford applying the finishing touch to cap an impressive team performance.
While the victory showed England’s attacking quality, it also exposed defensive vulnerabilities that Tuchel will seek to address ahead of their next Group L fixture against Ghana. Nevertheless, the second-half display provided further evidence that England possess the firepower and ambition to challenge deep into the tournament.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
