News Focus
- England secure 4-2 victory over Croatia in World Cup 2026 Group L opener in Dallas
- Harry Kane scores twice to equal Gary Lineker’s record as England’s top World Cup scorer
- Noni Madueke impresses on debut after starting on the right wing
- Defensive errors allow Croatia to net twice before half-time
- Marcus Rashford seals win with late goal after coming off the bench
England kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with an exciting 4-2 victory against Croatia at the Dallas Stadium. Thomas Tuchel’s team scored two goals in each half to secure three points in their opening Group L fixture.
Captain Harry Kane gave a brilliant performance, scoring twice to earn the man-of-the-match award. The striker calmly scored a rebound after his first penalty was saved. He then headed home his 81st international goal to equal Gary Lineker as England’s record scorer at World Cup finals. The 32-year-old even made a crucial goal-saving block with his body late in the game to stop Joško Gvardiol from scoring.
Noni Madueke impressed on his World Cup debut after being picked to start on the right flank. The winger worked well with Kyle Walker and caused constant problems for the Croatian defence with his direct running. His display gives Tuchel a difficult decision when Bukayo Saka returns from his Achilles injury.
Jude Bellingham also scored with a brilliant solo effort shortly after half-time. The Real Madrid midfielder almost added a spectacular long-range shot moments later as he controlled the centre of the pitch. He also won the early penalty that Kane scored.
However, England’s defence showed worrying weaknesses. Jordan Pickford could not stop either of Croatia’s first-half goals, though he did make a vital save from Mario Pašalić’s shot when the score was 3-2. John Stones survived an early mix-up with Pickford that led to a corner, while Levi Colwill struggled against Ivan Perišić and may lose his place to Marc Guéhi for the next match against Ghana.
Trent Alexander-Arnold showed creativity from set-pieces, including the corner for Kane’s header, and played a superb pass to release Bellingham for his goal. Yet he also made errors, including a poor pass that put Kane under pressure and bad positioning for Croatia’s first goal.
Declan Rice went close with a curling shot but left the pitch early for safety with 18 minutes remaining. Phil Foden had a quiet evening on the left wing before making way for Marcus Rashford.
The substitutes made significant impacts. Rashford calmly scored England’s fourth goal, his 19th for his country, after good work from Saka. The Manchester United forward also nearly scored immediately after coming on. Saka provided the assist for Rashford’s goal and combined well with substitute Morgan Rogers.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon saw little action after coming on, while Djed Spence wasted a golden chance to score his first international goal by shooting straight at Dominik Livaković. Marc Guéhi came on late and could replace Colwill in the starting eleven for the next match.