Kane and Bellingham put on a show in England’s thrilling win over Croatia
James Olley
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James Olley
Senior Writer, ESPN FCTom Hamilton
CloseTom Hamilton
Senior Writer- • Joined ESPN in 2011
• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
Multiple Authors
DALLAS — England kicked off their Group L campaign with a dramatic 4-2 win over Croatia.
Harry Kane’s retaken 12th-minute penalty got Thomas Tuchel’s side off to a perfect start before Martin Baturina equalized on 36 minutes with a curling finish from outside the box.
Kane headed in Declan Rice’s corner to restore England’s lead, but Petar Musa finished a brilliant Croatia move to draw them level again in first-half stoppage time.
Jude Bellingham fired England ahead again just two minutes into the second half, collecting Elliot Anderson’s pass before firing low across Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and in off the far post.
England created a raft of chances thereafter with Likakovic making six saves in a stunning five-minute spell before Marcus Rashford came off the bench to make the points safe, curling in a fourth with five minutes remaining.
England next face Ghana in Boston on June 23, the same day Croatia play Panama in Toronto.
Kane follows other big stars with two goals
Kane has joined the party. Having seen Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé all leave their early mark on the World Cup, Kane’s double sees him join the rest of the world’s elite on the scoring charts.
Kane was asked Tuesday who he regards as the best strikers at this tournament. He picked out Mbappe and Haaland. As chance had it, around the same sort of time in Boston, Haaland was asked a similar question and named Mbappe and Kane.
Kane’s season has been remarkable for Bayern Munich, and he said before the match in Dallas that he was ready to carry that form into the World Cup. Though his first penalty was well-saved, he ditched the pause in the run-up on the retaken effort to calmly slot the ball home. His header — bizarrely unmarked — was also well-taken, ruthlessly planting the ball home in the 42nd minute.
But Kane is so much more than just a striker for England. He is integral in every facet of the match, even dropping deep at one point to aid with a kick-off routine. This is an aspect of his game he has developed further at Bayern Munich, and it allows him to make these late, lethal darts into the box. And there he was in injury time at the end, making a key block off Josko Gvardiol to maintain England’s two-goal lead. Once again Kane showed why he is indispensable and sits alongside the other greats in this tournament. — Tom Hamilton
Are England fans in for a wild ride at this World Cup?
If we’re honest, England aren’t usually this entertaining. There was something decidedly methodical about the end of the Gareth Southgate era, a caution informed by England’s historic vulnerabilities.
But this was chaotic at times, both negatively and positively so. The balance wasn’t right, as Tuchel’s assistant Anthony Barry admitted when interviewed at halftime: “A complicated and confusing first half from us. We played long when we should have played short, played short when should have played long. We were not playing through the gaps.”
That changed in the second period and suddenly England looked much more dynamic, less concerned about their defensive shakiness and more intent on causing Croatia problems. To some extent, you could take whatever you want from this: England were awkward at the back — Marc Guéhi surely has a strong case to start against Ghana after being left out here — but very good in spells going forward.
Wherever that combination leads them, it doesn’t look like being dull. — James Olley
Bellingham’s magic justifies selection as No. 10
The debate had raged for months: Who would be England’s No. 10? Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers?
Tuchel opted for Bellingham’s star power in Dallas, perhaps influenced by a strong showing in England’s final warmup game against Costa Rice a week earlier. There is an acknowledgment that while Rogers offers more discipline out of possession, Bellingham possesses more match-winning ability (notwithstanding how prolific Rogers has been for Aston Villa).
And for a while it looked a questionable call. Bellingham had one or two threatening moments but he was wasteful in possession in the opening 45 minutes. And then, suddenly, he came alive in the way only the top players can.
Collecting Elliot Anderson’s clever 47th-minute pass, Bellingham drove forward, holding off Mario Pasalic before finishing low into the net. It proved the decisive moment and when Bellingham conjures up actions like this, all is forgiven. The debate is over for the time being. — Olley
2:19
Gibbs: England had ‘too much star power’ for Croatia
Modric has slow start to World Cup
Croatia great Luka Modric made a slice of World Cup history on Wednesday. After Cristiano Ronaldo, he became the third outfield player over the age of 40 to play in a World Cup. He came into this World Cup low on minutes, having suffered a broken cheekbone towards the end of the season for AC Milan, and then playing 28 minutes in their last match before heading off on Croatia duty.
The old master didn’t look at his best against England. He was hauled off after 57 minutes after a quiet performance. While his fellow veteran Ivan Perisic was causing England all sorts of trouble, it was Martin Baturina who was Croatia’s main threat in the middle off the pitch. England gave Modric some rough justice, hounding him to prevent him from turning out of defence to unleash Croatia’s attack and generally making his life a misery. — Hamilton
Tuchel’s finest result to date proves management skills
The ultimate test for Tuchel will come in the knockout rounds, but part of the reason England fans grew tired of Southgate — despite his remarkable record — was a concern that his in-game management was not at the elite level required to turn tight games in their favor.
Tuchel’s pedigree at club level was significant step up in this regard, and the changes England made at half-time proved telling. The England players moved higher up the pitch as a unit and shorted the spaces between each other, facilitating the combination play that overwhelmed Croatia at times in the second half.
England have still not beaten a top 10 nation under Tuchel — Croatia are ranked 11th — but this was arguably his finest result to date, aided further by substitutions which kept England’s attack fresh, most obviously when Rashford scored England’s fourth goal just 13 minutes after coming on with the assist provided by another sub, Bukayo Saka.
A win in the opening match — something England have now managed at five consecutive tournaments — should give Tuchel more freedom to rotate and keep the team fresh as the tournament progresses. — Olley
1:31
Robson: Rashford return to Manchester United would be ‘difficult’
Livakovic could be Croatia’s savior again
Livakovic ended up conceding four, but Croatia could have been far deeper in the mire had it not been for his reflexes and shot-stopping ability. There’s very little he could’ve done for any of England’s four goals — only the Bellingham one was one he’d lament not getting closer to. But in the second half there was a two-minute spell where he made five saves.
Off another dangerous Rice set piece, O’Reilly planted a header toward goal, only for Livakovic to palm it back into danger. He then saved the two follow-up efforts — first from Gordon and then Konsa. A minute later — he sprang into action again, making a decent save off a Kane effort, and then flinging himself at the followed-up effort.
Livakovic was one of Croatia’s heroes in the 2022 World Cup after he saved three penalties in their round of 16 penalty shootout win against Japan and then saved another penalty against Brazil to ease them into the semifinals. He did save another penalty in Arlington, only for the referee to deem him to have encroached off his line. Livakovic will be central to how Croatia fair here in 2026. — Hamilton
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