England beat Croatia 4-2 in their first World Cup match, but a much improved performance in the second half, with goals from Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford, propelled them to victory.
Harry Kane reveals what Thomas Tuchel said (Image: ITV)
Harry Kane has revealed what manager Thomas Tuchel said at half-time that sparked England’s epic transformation in the second period. Despite giving up the lead twice in the first half, the Three Lions defeated Croatia 4-2.
Such was the turnaround in performance that Gary Neville suggested: “Tuchel gave them an absolute rocket at half-time. They exploded.” But while the German coach has undoubtedly made his demands clear, he also seems to have given his team a sense of freedom.
England captain Kane recounted his manager’s words in the dressing room after the thrilling win in Dallas. “Credit to the coach. He gave us a speech at half-time and he just said, if we lose, we lose, but don’t be afraid, if we lose, we’re lost,” Kane said.
“It was a really good second half. Some of the things they did in the first 10 minutes of the second half were great.
“Without the ball, I think we were more aggressive. It was difficult. They have great players. Luka goes down and that’s when you’re trying to figure out who to pick up. In the second half, when you have gas left and you see guys in front of you, you go.”
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“The intensity with which we worked, I think that’s our biggest strength. The way we controlled the game after we took the lead, it didn’t look like we were in any danger and we didn’t score on the counter attack after that. We had spells where we could have scored three or four.”
Jude Bellingham has given his thoughts on Tuchel’s message, reiterating the England manager’s cautious approach. “It wasn’t like a big drama and he didn’t stand up and scream,” Bellingham said.
“That was exactly what the team needed. We have a mature group, we have great leaders, and I think everyone understood the level we needed to reach and why we couldn’t reach it.”
Tuchel was active on the sideline throughout the match as he led England to victory (Image: Getty)
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“The second half was very clear, but the goal early in the second half obviously gave us a good foundation.”
After hearing Kane’s words, Neville expressed his thoughts again. “Anthony Barry was frustrated at half-time,” he said.
“This shows what Thomas Tuchel’s thinking was. Harry Kane said it was a speech. No doubt he would have told the players that the first half was not good enough.”
Coach Tuchel was satisfied with his team’s reaction. “We were nervous in the first half and struggled to find momentum,” he said.
“There were too many passes backwards. We didn’t have enough courage off the ball.
“The players reacted well in the second half. It took a while to get going, but we got going and that was a positive.”
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