England's World Cup campaign got off to a flying start with a thrilling 4-2 triumph over Croatia in their Group L opener, following an inspired Thomas Tuchel team-talk at half-time. Despite initial jitters and first-half wobbles, England completely outclassed their European rivals with a dominant and energetic second-half performance. Harry Kane’s brace helped England secure a pulsating victory at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, with additional goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.
This came after Portugal failed to impress in a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, heaping more pressure on manager Roberto Martinez to drop 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who toiled fruitlessly upfront. Here is everything you need to know about what happened overnight in our morning World Cup round-up, as there was plenty more that caught the eye, including a former Liverpool man lighting up the tournament.
England Play Out Classic
England got off to a great start when Luka Modric gave away a penalty by accidentally bringing down Noni Madueke with a swing of his boot. Kane's disappointing penalty after a stuttering run-up was saved, but Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol spared his blushes as he had encroached, meaning Kane was told to retake the spot kick and made no mistake second time around. That was cancelled out by a brilliant Martin Baturina effort for Croatia, before the skipper equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup scoring record for England when heading home a Declan Rice corner. Croatia levelled again through Petar Musa just before half-time. But Bellingham slammed the Euro 2024 runners-up back ahead within two minutes of the restart, and substitute Marcus Rashford added another late on.
Half-Time Words and 'Chip on Shoulder'
England's assistant coach Anthony Barry fiercely criticised the team's first-half display as "complicated and confusing" after Croatia managed to level the score twice before half-time. In response, Thomas Tuchel delivered a stirring half-time team talk, urging his squad to ramp up their intensity and play football their own way with courage, reports the Mirror. Jude Bellingham justified his manager's confidence after getting the nod ahead of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, netting a vital third goal just moments after the interval. After the match, Bellingham confessed he operates with a "chip on his shoulder," explaining that the strike was the ideal method to silence critics and showcase his abilities.
Ronaldo 'Not the Same'
Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a deeply disappointing evening as Portugal were restricted to a tight 1-1 stalemate by DR Congo. Midfielder Joao Neves headed them into a sixth-minute lead, but Martinez's side failed to convert their dominance of possession into attempts on goal. They were punished in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time when Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa was left unmarked to meet Arthur Masuaku's cross from six yards to head home DR Congo's first World Cup goal. As a solitary Ronaldo trudged off the field, supporters within the ground taunted the seasoned striker by boisterously chanting the name of his eternal nemesis, Lionel Messi. Afterwards, Ngalayel Mukau of Congo said there was no grand plan to keep the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend quiet. He said: "He's one of the greatest to ever play the game. So much respect to him. But to be honest, there was no plan, not really, because we know that he isn't the same as before. He's a bit older now. When you get old like that, it's not the same effort that you can make."
'Spy' Drone
The Mexican military unleashed signal-jamming radio waves to disable and bring down an unauthorised drone hovering near South Korea's sealed training facility in Guadalajara, sparking claims of 'espionage'. Local security personnel raced to the impact zone, but two foreign individuals suspected of controlling the aircraft succeeded in recovering the gadget and escaping before officials could intervene. South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo described the drone incident as deeply regrettable but reassured supporters it had not seriously hampered their World Cup tactical arrangements. The dramatic response forms part of Mexico's comprehensive "Plan Kukulkan," an enormous 100,000-strong security operation designed to safeguard stadiums, training camps, and supporter zones.
Ticket Accusations
Reports from Arlington, Texas suggest a significant number of England fans managed to evade security barriers and gain entry without valid tickets for the World Cup opener against Croatia. However, a FIFA spokesperson has clarified the governing body currently has no official confirmation or proof of any supporters entering without a valid match ticket. The inaugural match logged an official attendance of 70,389, just shy of the venue's official maximum capacity of 70,649. High ticket prices have been a major bone of contention, although FIFA previously pledged to make 10% of England's travel scheme allocations available for 60 US dollars, following a strong backlash from fans.
Late, Late Show
In Wednesday and Thursday morning's remaining World Cup fixtures, Ghana concluded Group L's opening round of matches with an astonishing late 1-0 triumph over Panama. Ghana substitute Caleb Yirenkyi emerged as the ultimate match-winner in Toronto by converting a flowing counter-attack in the 95th minute to claim all three points. Panama were on top for much of the game and deserved at least a point, but Thomas Christiansen's side walked away without a point as they have lost all four games they have ever played at a World Cup. Meanwhile, Colombia stormed to a 3-1 victory against Uzbekistan. They beat the World Cup debutants at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to move top of Group K, with former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz and Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz among the goalscorers. Bayern Munich man Diaz had hit the post for Colombia, before he set up Munoz, who volleyed Colombia ahead. Abbosbek Fayzullaev equalised with a close-range header for Uzbekistan, but Diaz restored the South Americans' lead and Jaminton Campaz added a late third.
The Morning After the Night Before
A lot of England fans will have weary heads this morning as millions are expected to 'pull a sickie' at work. Nearly half of under-35s admitted to the firm VoucherCodes they’ll phone in sick after a late-night match. According to the company’s research, today will see the largest dip in “productivity” across the entire tournament. They calculate that due to the amount of drinks sunk, last-minute mysterious ‘coughs’ and brutal post-match hangovers will drive a loss of 2.5 million working days, wiping up to £875 million from the UK economy.
