England began their World Cup campaign with a 4–2 victory over Croatia in a high-scoring encounter played in Texas on Wednesday.
Captain Harry Kane delivered a standout first-half performance, scoring twice to put England in front on both occasions. However, Croatia responded through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to restore parity before the break.
The match remained finely balanced at 2–2 until Jude Bellingham restored England’s advantage shortly after the restart, while substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the result late on.
Kane’s opening goal came from the penalty spot after a foul in the box. Although his initial effort was saved by Dominik Livaković, the referee ordered a retake following a VAR review, which the England striker converted.
Croatia equalised midway through the first half after a defensive lapse allowed Baturina to score. England regained the lead through Kane’s header from a corner, but Musa struck in stoppage time to send both teams into the interval level.
England quickly reasserted control after the break, with Bellingham finishing off a swift attacking move to make it 3–2. Despite creating several further chances, they had to wait until the closing stages for a fourth goal, when Rashford found the net.
The result marks a positive start for head coach Thomas Tuchel, whose side is aiming to secure England’s first major international trophy since 1966.
