Harry Kane struck twice as England survived a ferocious Croatia fightback to open their World Cup campaign with a thrilling 4-2 win, handing Thomas Tuchel’s side a high-voltage start in their push for glory.
Twice runners-up at the European Championship, England arrived in North America carrying the weight of expectation and began Group L life in suitably dramatic fashion at the vast AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Kane got England moving with a retaken early penalty, only for Martin Baturina to answer with a superb equaliser. The captain then headed in a Declan Rice corner to draw level with Gary Lineker’s England World Cup scoring record.
Yet Croatia refused to buckle, levelling again through Petar Musa on the stroke of half-time as assistant Anthony Barry bristled at England’s “complicated and confusing” play while Tuchel tried to jolt his team back into shape.
England spent long stretches pouring forward, but an inspired Dominik Livakovic kept Croatia alive until substitute Marcus Rashford finally applied the late finish.
The contest in Texas, watched by 70,389 fans, was one of the standout matches of the group stage and gave Tuchel his first victory over a side ranked inside FIFA’s top 20.
England had made an uneasy start before being handed an early opening when 40-year-old Luka Modric clipped Noni Madueke as he tried to clear the ball.
Clement Turpin, the referee Tuchel once branded a ‘Grade E’ official, pointed straight to the spot, but Kane’s stuttering run-up ended with Livakovic saving the initial penalty.
The reprieve did not last. Livakovic had moved off his line and Josko Gvardiol encroached before completing the clearance, prompting VAR to order a retake that Kane buried emphatically.
England fashioned a couple more openings after that 12th-minute breakthrough, but frustration still bubbled, with boos ringing out during the hydration break inside Dallas’ air-conditioned dome.
For all of England’s menace going forward, the vulnerability at the back lingered, and Barry felt they had slipped “back into some fearful patterns” before Croatia punished them in the 36th minute.
Croatia regained possession just inside England’s half, and the move eventually worked its way to Petar Sucic, who cut away from John Stones and teed up Baturina to whip home the equaliser.
That goal set the stage for a frantic close to the first half.
England regained the lead six minutes later when Kane, somehow left completely unmarked, powered home Rice’s corner with a commanding header, but Croatia hit back again in added time.
A beautifully clipped delivery into the area was helped on smartly by the just-onside Ivan Perisic, and FC Dallas forward Musa finished with conviction.
It was a brutal blow, but England answered it exactly as Tuchel would have wanted, emerging from the interval transformed and striking almost immediately.
Bellingham burst down the right after gathering a hopeful pass along the flank and drove on before drilling a low shot off the inside of the far post just 85 seconds into the second half.
Now England had rhythm as well as belief. Bellingham threatened again, and Nico O’Reilly somehow nodded wide from a corner as Croatia struggled to steady themselves.
Rice was denied by Livakovic, and without the goalkeeper’s resistance the scoreline could have taken on a far harsher look.
The Croatia keeper then produced a stunning triple save in the 55th minute, keeping out O’Reilly, Anthony Gordon and Ezri Konsa in quick succession before twice thwarting Kane.
With Croatia chasing a shift in momentum, Modric made way for Mateo Kovacic, and Jordan Pickford had to respond to efforts from Marco Pasalic and others as Zlatko Dalic’s team pressed for a third equaliser.
The Balkan side, ranked 11th in the world, kept probing, but England continued to look dangerous whenever space opened up.
Djed Spence was turned away before fellow substitute Rashford finally ended the suspense in the 85th minute, shifting neatly away from his marker and steering his finish into the bottom corner.
Kane’s last-ditch block from Gvardiol in stoppage time captured England’s resolve on a night when flaws were exposed, but so too were the qualities that mark them out as genuine contenders.
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