England Win Six-Goal Thriller Against Croatia To Take The Lead In World Cup Group L
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Harry Kane Leads Three Lions To Victory in World Cup Opener
England made a statement in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup by beating Croatia 4-2 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas last night - a result that also confirmed our World Cup predictions.
The Three Lions looked nervy during the opening exchanges, but their opportunity came in the 12th minute after Noni Madueke was fouled inside the penalty area. Up stepped Harry Kane to the spot, but his attempt was saved by Dominik Livakovic.
However, the Croatian keeper was immediately adjudged to have left his line, forcing a retake. England’s skipper made no mistake with his second attempt, sending Livakovic the wrong way to open the scoring for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Croatia refused to allow that setback to deter them and restored parity on the scoreboard in the 36th minute. The final knockings of the first half were a back-and-forth affair, with Kane restoring England’s lead in the 42nd minute, only for Petar Musa to find his side’s second equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Kane’s brace pulled him level with Gary Lineker for the most goals by an English player in World Cups (10)!
Evidently, Tuchel’s half-time speech lit the fire beneath the Three Lions, who came out flying in the second period and regained their advantage in under two minutes of the restart thanks to an excellent solo effort by Real Madrid attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Instead of trying to sit back and defend their lead, Tuchel opted to make a triple change in attack in the 71st minute, bringing on Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford for Madueke, Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon.
Rashford, who was widely expected to start the fixture, took the match beyond Vatreni, netting the team’s fourth of the evening in the 85th minute. England now lead Group L and will face second-placed Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Boston on Tuesday, June 23.
Concerns Over Declan Rice Fitness After Second-Half Withdrawal
England’s performance in their opener last night has reaffirmed them as one of the favourites for the title this year, but one major concern going forward revolves around the fitness of key midfielder Declan Rice.
The Arsenal star had an excellent performance in the middle of the park for the Three Lions, providing immense energy at both ends, while he also picked up an assist by setting up Kane for his second of the night from a pinpoint corner.
However, Rice was seen limping just after the hour mark, and despite trying to play through the issue, he eventually indicated to the bench that he could not continue. Tuchel withdrew him in the 71st minute. Speaking after the match, Tuchel responded to questions regarding the extent of Rice’s injury. He said:
"Declan had some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort. Then I asked him and he pointed directly to his lower back and upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort. I didn't want to take any risks and if I take Declan off, which I never want to do, it was the moment to protect. Declan just reassured me at the end 'it's good, it's good' and I know the discomfort, we will take care of it. It's nothing big to worry about."
While Tuchel’s words are somewhat reassuring, there are still lingering concerns over Rice’s fitness, as it was reported that he required injections during the final weeks of Arsenal’s campaign as they chased the Premier League and Champions League titles.
