England got their World Cup off to a chaotic, thrilling start in Texas. Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford finished the job, and England survived a Croatia side that twice pegged them back.
England got their World Cup off to a chaotic, thrilling start in Texas. Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford finished the job, and England survived a Croatia side that twice pegged them back.
There was barely time to settle. Inside 12 minutes Luka Modrić brought down Noni Madueke in the box, and England were awarded a penalty. Kane, a man still carrying the memory of the penalty he missed against France in 2022, stepped up to take the shot. His first effort was saved by Dominik Livakovic, but the keeper had moved off his line, so the referee ordered a retake. Kane buried the second.
Martin Baturina levelled with a fierce drive in the 36th minute. Kane restored the lead in the 42nd, heading in a Declan Rice corner for his 10th career World Cup goal. Croatia hit back again through Petar Musa in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2 at the break.
The second half was dominated by England. Bellingham scored less than two minutes after the restart, racing down the wing before finishing into the bottom corner. Marcus Rashford added the fourth off the bench.
Tuchel wasn't pleased after the first 45 minutes! And he let his players know. "I felt a bit nervy," he told ITV. "The decisions we took were basically, we chose to go safe and play too many balls backwards."
Kane revealed afterwards what Tuchel had told them at the break: "He gave a great speech to be honest, especially the way we conceded that second goal just before the half-time," said the captain. "He kind of just said, what's the worst that can happen? We lose a match, first group game, we get on with it, we move on, let's just go and show the world who we can be."
And they did! "I love the reaction of the players into the second half, the second half was excellent," said the german manager afterwards. "We deserved to win." He pointed to a sharp shift in numbers: 33% of ground duels won before the break, 73% after it.
Bellingham started in the number 10 role ahead of Morgan Rogers, and his goal carried weight beyond the scoreline. The Real Madrid midfielder has divided opinion among England fans and clashed with Tuchel, who once called his on-field behaviour "a bit repulsive" before apologising.
"For me personally it was nice to put some of the noise aside and show my country, show my team-mates, how committed I am to helping us win football matches," Bellingham told the BBC. He described a "tougher season" but said he arrived "fresh and sharp and strong", adding: "I've got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder."
Tuchel set a marker. "A very good player, he deserved to start," he said. "And that's what he needs to do, fight for his place, to keep his place."
For all the attacking flair, England's defending worries Tuchel. The coach noted England had seven players back for Croatia's second goal, but still failed to deal with it.
