England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia in a thrilling Group L encounter, as Harry Kane led the way with a brace before Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford completed the job.
In a match packed with attacking football, momentum swings and six goals, the Three Lions ultimately proved too strong for a resilient Croatian side to claim a third consecutive opening-match win at the World Cup.
England made a dream start as Noni Madueke’s incisive run unsettled the Croatian defence, drawing a penalty after veteran midfielder Luka Modrić brought him down inside the box.
Kane stepped up to take the spot-kick and, despite seeing his initial effort saved by Dominik Livakovic, was handed a second chance after the goalkeeper was adjudged to have moved off his line too early.
The England captain made no mistake with the retake, firing into the same corner to give his side a 1-0 lead after 12 minutes.
Croatia responded positively and found an equaliser in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. Petar Sucic laid the ball into his path, and the midfielder produced a superb curling effort that beat Jordan Pickford via the goalkeeper's fingertips to restore parity.
England regained the lead six minutes later, and once again it was Kane who delivered. Meeting Declan Rice's corner with a powerful header, the Bayern Munich striker found the net to score his second goal of the evening and draw level with Gary Lineker's England World Cup record of 10 goals.
Yet Croatia refused to go away. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ivan Perisic nodded Mario Pasalic's pass into the path of Petar Musa, who volleyed home brilliantly to make it 2-2 and ensure the teams went into the break level after a breathless opening 45 minutes.
The contest swung decisively in England's favour shortly after the restart. Jude Bellingham, operating in an advanced attacking role, collected possession on the right before driving into the penalty area and finishing low beyond Livakovic to restore England's advantage.
The goal sparked England's best spell of the match. Thomas Tuchel's side pressed aggressively, moved the ball with greater purpose and repeatedly forced Livakovic into action as Croatia struggled to contain the waves of attacks.
Despite the Croatian goalkeeper producing a series of fine saves, England eventually found the fourth goal their dominance deserved.
Substitute Bukayo Saka provided the spark with an intelligent run and pass that released fellow substitute Marcus Rashford, who kept his composure to slot past Livakovic in the 85th minute and put the result beyond doubt.
While Croatia showed flashes of quality and twice fought back from behind in the first half, they were unable to match England's intensity after the interval as the Three Lions took firm control of proceedings.
The victory gives England an ideal start to life in Group L and underlines their status as one of the contenders for the World Cup crown. Kane once again demonstrated his value on the biggest stage, while Bellingham and Rashford provided further evidence of the attacking depth available to Tuchel.
For Croatia, there were encouraging moments despite the defeat, particularly in attack. Still, defensive lapses ultimately proved costly against an England side that looked increasingly dangerous as the match wore on.
England now head into their next group fixture (against Ghana) full of confidence after an entertaining and convincing opening-night performance.
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