England Rally Past Croatia in Entertaining World Cup Opener, 4-2.

ARLINGTON, Texas — England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a statement victory Wednesday night, overcoming a determined Croatia side 4-2 at Dallas Stadium in a thrilling Group L encounter. Despite surrendering the lead twice in the first half, the Three Lions responded with an impressive second-half performance that showcased both their attacking depth and resilience. Captain Harry Kane led the charge with two goals, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford added second-half strikes to secure all three points for Thomas Tuchel's side. England struck first in the 12th minute when Kane converted a retaken penalty to give his nation an early advantage. Croatia, however, refused to back down. Martin Baturina leveled the score in the 36th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse to make it 1-1. The English regained control before halftime when Kane rose above the Croatian defense to head home a corner delivered by Declan Rice. Yet Croatia answered once again in stoppage time as Petar Musa finished off a well-worked team move to send the teams into the break tied 2-2. The second half belonged to England. Bellingham restored the lead with a superb finish, continuing his rise as one of the tournament's brightest stars. Croatia struggled to contain England's growing intensity, and Rashford put the match beyond reach in the 85th minute with a curling effort into the corner. Following the match, Tuchel admitted his players appeared nervous early on but praised their response after halftime. "We showed some nerves and overthought our decisions in the first half," Tuchel said. "The reaction after halftime was exactly what we wanted. We played with courage, attacked with confidence, and stayed true to our identity."

The victory also marked another milestone for Kane. The Bayern Munich striker now has 10 career World Cup goals, tying England legend Gary Lineker for the most by an English men's player in tournament history. Kane also became just the second Englishman, alongside David Beckham, to score in three separate World Cups. Kane credited Tuchel's halftime message for England's turnaround. "The manager told us that if we were going to lose, we should lose playing our way," Kane said. "We came out with much more energy in the second half, and they couldn't handle it. That's the standard we need to set." England received a brief scare when Rice was substituted in the 72nd minute after appearing uncomfortable. Tuchel later explained that the midfielder felt discomfort around his lower back and upper hamstring area but expressed optimism that the issue was not serious. The match also carried special significance for Tuchel, who was managing at his first World Cup after a coaching journey that included stops at FC Augsburg II, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich.

The England manager described the national anthem before kickoff as an emotional moment, though he jokingly criticized the positioning of photographers for blocking his view of the players. With the win, England takes an early lead in Group L and will next face Ghana on Tuesday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Croatia will look to rebound when it meets Panama in Toronto the same day.