England 4-2 Croatia: Thomas Tuchel’s side kicked things up in the second half to dominate Croatia and get their World Cup campaign off to a flying start.
England beat Croatia 4-2, boosting their chances of qualifying for the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
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Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a winning start but gave England fans a tough time at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Having twice taken the lead, it took a fine goal from Jude Bellingham to get them back into the lead, but in the end Marcus Rashford finally made it six thrilling goals in total chaos at the back.
Harry Kane clearly sealed an important victory with two goals, including a penalty conversion, as England captain Marvel showed he was ready for a shootout with the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
But when England needed Bellingham the most, it was ‘Who else?’, as he famously said at Euro 2024, who actually owned this game.
And England manager Tuchel will have to make tough decisions on the back line, with John Stones and Ezri Konsa looking odd at times, and will have to defend better than this if they are to advance in the tournament.
It was a dream start for England, but it was also a reward for their bold and attacking attitude. Basically, when England started attacking, Croatia looked vulnerable. They just weren’t that smart on the other side.
Noni Madueke picked up the loose ball inside the box and Luka Modric went to clear it, catching the England winger on the way. It was a clear penalty.
Let’s not forget that Kane was the last to take a penalty in a World Cup. Four years ago, in the quarter-finals against France, the goal skidded over the crossbar. This was a high-pressure moment even for a striker as good as Kane.
Kane scored twice, including converting a penalty (Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Kane stepped up, but had an unusually sluggish run-up. Dominik Livakovic made a great diving save, but perhaps due to Kane’s hesitation, the Croatian keeper went off his line and the defender crept into the box.
It was a double penetration and a big letoff. But Kane stepped up again – imagine the pressure and negative thoughts in his mind – and this time he smashed it perfectly into the bottom right corner.
Incredibly, this was his 200th goal for club and country (168 goals, 32 assists) since joining Bayern Munich. And there was more to come. But that wasn’t the case before they were fixed.
England did not look convincing at the back in the early stages. They looked a little nervous, indecisive and sloppy as they tried to play from the back.
Croatia then took advantage of England’s defensive weaknesses and equalized after 36 minutes. Petar Sutic sold a dummy to John Stones and the Croatian forward dismissed it for Martin Baturina to tap the ball into the top corner.
England took the lead again in the 42nd minute. They relied on Arsenal’s playbook as Declan Rice’s corner gave Kane the breakthrough and could have headed home.
Every goal from Kane seems to set a new landmark. This was his 10th World Cup appearance, tying Gary Lineker’s record. He scored 81 goals in 115 caps.
Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score England’s fourth goal.
But England was not safe either. Ivan Perisic stayed onside and set up Petar Moussa with his smart flick, and the FC Dallas striker fired past England keeper Jordan Pickford.
Those sitting at home were treated to an open-ended half-time interview with England assistant coach Anthony Barry. He told television that England was “in turmoil and scared”. He was spot on.
Bellingham didn’t need to say anything. He was on a mission and had a great first half. But the Real Madrid star seized the chance to put England in the lead once again.
Bellingham made a sensational, powerful run from the right flank, cutting into the box. Bellingham’s low cross shot flew into the corner of the goal from an off angle.
England were in the lead again. Kane was denied twice by Livaković and the Croatian keeper also denied England by denying Nico O’Reilly and Anthony Gordon.
In the end, England’s large number of substitutes paid off. Rashford curled his fourth into the far corner to bring the game within reach and seal a valuable early win.
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