England's star men delivered on the big stage to ensure Thomas Tuchel's men made an early World Cup statement in a thriller against old foes Croatia. Harry Kane twice gave England the lead against the team who bested them in the World Cup semi-finals eight years ago, before Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford got in on the act to seal a memorable win.
It was England who hit the front despite a nervy start, Kane converting a penalty at the second time of asking after Dominik Livakovic was caught slightly off his line. Kane's goal settled England down, but Croatia hit back through a fine strike from Martin Baturina from the edge of the box. Kane restored England's lead by powering home a header from a magnificent Declan Rice corner, but again Croatia restored parity, this time through Petar Musa.
England came firing out of the blocks in the second half and were back ahead inside 90 seconds when Bellingham finished clinically after storming into the box, while Nico O'Reilly should have added a fourth from a corner just a couple of minutes later. England continued to pepper their opponents' goal and eventually got their reward, adding a slick fourth in the dying embers of the game through an ice-cool Rashford.
Penalty Drama Already
England and penalties? No thanks. We all know the score when it comes to the Three Lions and spot-kicks, and the stage was set for some early drama from 12 yards when Luka Modric's wild swinging leg caught Noni Madueke as the veteran playmaker tried to defend a corner. Up stepped Kane who, after a stutter, saw Livakovic dive to his left to palm the ball away. But the Croatia goalkeeper was off his line before the kick was taken, while Josko Gvardiol, who cleared the ball, was spotted encroaching on the replay. That gave Kane a second bite of the cherry, and England's captain made no mistake; he even had the nerve to send his retaken kick right into the same corner, this time unguarded with Livakovic diving in the opposite direction.
Kane and Able
Lionel Messi. Erling Haaland. Kylian Mbappe. Like the rest of the world's elite attackers, England's captain is up and running for the tournament. Kane was at his best here and was completely unaffected by that miss from the spot, albeit he was given the chance to make amends. Nobody has scored more World Cup goals for the Three Lions than England's Mr Dependable, who is now level with Gary Lineker on 10. But surely it is a matter of when, rather than if, Kane surpasses Lineker in the next month or so.
Bellingham Proves His Point
All the bluster about England's No 10 position which dominated the narrative in the build-up to this World Cup opener wilted away in the Texas heat as Bellingham drove England to victory. That there was even a debate over Bellingham's spot in the starting XI in the first place is wild. England have plenty of fine players, particularly in the attacking areas, but Bellingham has that X Factor. If England are going to win the World Cup, Bellingham simply has to play. That much should have always been clear. It certainly is now.
Croatia Strike Back - and Strike Back Again
In terms of opening games, England had one of the most challenging ones on paper. They know only too well what Croatia are capable of, and so it proved as they hit back twice in the first half. The biggest concern for England will be the manner of the goals. Though Thomas Tuchel's men looked slick and dangerous going forward, Croatia attacked them twice and scored twice in the opening period. For the second goal in particular, England were breached far too easily. England have plenty of firepower and, in Kane, boast one of the best No 9's on the planet. But they will have to be better defensively than here. Marc Guehi, arguably the team's best player at Euro 2024, was absent here, and how England missed him with John Stones and Ezri Konsa looking shaky. It's still very early days, and it's important to keep things in perspective. But if there was one negative to take from a thrilling win, it was the defensive side of England's play.
Tuchel's Men Live Up to Billing
Minutes after watching Croatia level for a second time, England assistant Anthony Barry produced a fairly scathing assessment of the performance. It was clear the England bench were far from impressed. What followed was the perfect response. Bellingham fired England back in front in the 47th minute before he and his team-mates laid siege on the Croatia goal. Quite how a seriously impressive spell at the start of the second half only yielded Bellingham's goal is unclear. There were issues defensively, but England looked a real threat every time they went forward. Bellingham and Kane will get the headlines, but Madueke, in ahead of Bukayo Saka who is nursing an Achilles injury, was a livewire throughout. And Saka then teed up Rashford for England's fourth to kill the game off, underlining England's strength in depth up front. We've seen plenty of heavyweights fail to live up to their billing in the opening week of the World Cup — England are certainly not one of them.
