England vs Croatia

England could not have wished for a brighter start. Noni Madueke, handed the starting role ahead of Bukayo Saka by Tuchel, chased down a loose ball from a Declan Rice corner and was hacked down by Luka Modrić. Referee Clément Turpin pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Kane — the same Kane who saw a decisive penalty saved against France in the 2022 quarter-finals. The England captain struck his spot-kick low to the left, and Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic read it perfectly, diving to save. But VAR intervened: Livakovic had strayed from his line before the kick was taken. Turpin ordered a retake.

Kane showed immense nerve, sending Livakovic the wrong way second time to slot England 1-0 ahead in the 12th minute. It was a moment of high drama that set the tone for a chaotic first half.

Croatia, ranked 11th in the world and the highest pot-two side in the tournament, responded with composure. In the 36th minute, Petar Sučić jinked inside John Stones and slipped a pass to Martin Baturina, who curled a magnificent finish into the far top corner beyond Jordan Pickford's despairing dive.

England were back on level terms for barely six minutes before restored their lead. Rice's corner was met by a thumping Kane header — Croatia's marking had gone AWOL — and the England captain had his second of the night. With that 42nd-minute strike, Kane joined Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals, the highest tally by an English player in the competition's history.

But Croatia refused to buckle. Deep into first-half stoppage time — the fifth minute — Josip Šutalo lofted a ball over a static England backline. Ivan Perišić was clear on the left and directed a header back across goal to the unmarked Petar Musa, who volleyed emphatically past Pickford. 2-2 at the break, and Tuchel's half-time team-talk faced its sternest test.

Whatever was said in the England dressing room worked — and quickly. Just two minutes into the second half, Elliot Anderson threaded a ball up the inside-right channel. Jude Bellingham, reading the play earlier than anyone, burst onto it, shrugged off Šutalo's challenge, and lashed a low shot into the far corner.

It was a goal of devastating quality from the Real Madrid midfielder — the kind of moment that changes tournaments.

"Croatia could not live with his surging runs," wrote The Guardian's David Hytner. "He was too quick for the covering Šutalo."

The goal sparked a torrent of England pressure. Nico O'Reilly twice headed wide from Rice corners. Anthony Gordon forced a save from Livakovic. Kane, Bellingham and Rice all had further sights of goal as England pinned Croatia deep inside their own half. Livakovic was heroic, making seven saves over the 90 minutes to keep his side in the contest.

Croatia introduced Luka Modrić from the bench in the 58th minute — the 40-year-old maestro receiving a warm ovation — but even he could not stem the tide. Substitute Marco Pašalić almost snatched an equaliser late on, forcing a smart block from Pickford, but England's superior depth told.

Tuchel's substitutions proved decisive. With five minutes of normal time remaining, Bukayo Saka — introduced in the 72nd minute — collected a loose ball on the counter and fed Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United forward dipped his shoulder, opened up space, and drilled a clinical low finish past Livakovic.

4-2. Game over.

"From Dallas to Dagenham, the pints will be flowing tonight," wrote AS USA's Dane Arlauckas. "England didn't just win — they sent the world a letter of intent."

England's 22 shots (11 on target) to Croatia's 10 (5 on target) told the story of a dominant attacking display. Their expected goals (xG) of 2.80 dwarfed Croatia's 0.71, reflecting the gulf in quality chance creation. The Three Lions won the corner count 8-2 and committed fewer fouls (10 to 12) — disciplined despite the first-half defensive lapses.

The victory puts England top of Group L after the opening round of fixtures. Next up for Tuchel's side are Ghana and Panama in their remaining group-stage matches. For Croatia, the task becomes immediate: they must regroup quickly to keep their knockout-stage ambitions alive.

For Kane, the milestone — joint-top English World Cup scorer with Gary Lineker on 10 goals — adds another chapter to an already legendary career. For Bellingham, the driving run and finish that broke Croatia's resistance was a reminder that when England need a moment of brilliance, their midfield talisman is ready to provide it.

And for Thomas Tuchel, who once described referee Clément Turpin as "terrible" and a "1/10" during his Champions League days, there was an ironic twist: it was Turpin's VAR decision that gave Kane his reprieve from the spot.

England are up and running. The second star on the shirt remains the mission. On this evidence, they have the firepower to chase it.

• 12' H. Kane (pen) — 1-0
• 36' M. Baturina (P. Sučić) — 1-1
• 42' H. Kane (D. Rice) — 2-1
• 45+5' P. Musa (I. Perišić) — 2-2
• 47' J. Bellingham (E. Anderson) — 3-2
• 85' M. Rashford (B. Saka) — 4-2