England Begin 2026 World Cup Campaign with 4‑2 Victory Over Croatia

England opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 4‑2 win against Croatia in Texas on Wednesday, thanks to a double from Harry Kane.

Jude Bellingham, coming on shortly after the interval, and substitute Marcus Rashford, who netted with five minutes remaining, secured a winning start for Thomas Tuchel’s side after Croatia had fought back to level the score at 2‑2.

Kane twice gave England the lead in the opening period, including a retaken penalty, only for Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to restore parity for the 2018 runners‑up Croatia.

Both teams showed defensive frailty, and the second half quickly added another goal as Bellingham struck within two minutes to restore England’s lead in front of a 70,000‑strong crowd.

England created several opportunities to extend their advantage shortly afterwards, but it was not until Rashford appeared that they capitalised.

The meeting echoed the 2018 semi‑final, which Croatia won 2‑1 after extra time, though England have since dominated this older squad in North America.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, seeking England’s first major trophy since 1966, made a jittery start in front of a packed house at the impressive, air‑conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Drama then unfolded when Croatia’s talismanic captain, Luka Modrić, dangled a leg and brought down Noni Madueke inside the box.

Kane’s tentative penalty was saved by Dominik Livaković, but French referee Clément Turpin ordered a retake after video replays confirmed the goalkeeper had crossed the line.

Turpin had previously sent off Tuchel in a Champions League match, and his appointment for this game had been highlighted by English media earlier in the week.

Tuchel barely smiling

Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, held his nerve on the second attempt, again venturing to Livaković’s left and this time ruthlessly slotting the ball into the net to give England the lead after 12 minutes.

England dominated possession, and Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham, deployed in the number 10 role ahead of Morgan Rogers, surged upfield and forced Livaković into a save.

Loud boos were heard during the drinks break, as the match was played under a roof rather than the harsh Texas sun.

At the 30‑minute mark England should have extended their lead to 2‑0, but Bellingham narrowly missed connecting with Madueke’s incisive low cross.

Croatia levelled the scores in the 36th minute.

England lost possession in midfield, allowing Petar Sučić to orchestrate neat footwork that left John Stones on the floor and set up Baturina.

The 23‑year‑old met the ball first time and unleashed a curling shot past Jordan Pickford, who got a hand to the ball.

Zlatko Dalić’s side were level for just six minutes; a Declan Rice corner found Kane unmarked, and the captain nodded home.

With this goal, Kane reached ten World Cup goals, matching Gary Lineker as England’s joint top scorer.

Tuchel, who has made winning the World Cup his explicit aim, barely smiled.

In the fifth minute of added time, Musa capitalised on more porous England defending to calmly stroke the ball into the net from close range, restoring parity at 2‑2.

The second half began as the first had ended, with Bellingham galloping down the right unchallenged and rolling the ball into the corner to restore England’s lead.

Kane and Nico O’Reilly each had two clear chances, and Bellingham also threatened, as England pressed the Croatia goal in pursuit of a 4‑2 advantage.

With roughly fifteen minutes remaining, England dug in, but Croatia created several chances; Rashford then secured the win.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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