England secured a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup at Dallas Stadium on June 18, 2026.
The win was powered by a strong second-half attacking display, though defensive errors twice cost them the lead in the first half.
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Captain Harry Kane opened the scoring from a retaken penalty after Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was judged to have left his line early.
The goal allowed Kane to equal Gary Lineker's national record of 10 World Cup goals and extended his international tally to 81 goals in 115 appearances.
Croatia equalized twice in the first half, exposing England's defensive vulnerabilities. However, Jude Bellingham restored the lead immediately after halftime with a powerful run past Mario Pasalic.
Marcus Rashford later sealed the win with a late second-half goal.
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Tuchel's Bold Substitutions Praised
Head coach Thomas Tuchel made aggressive attacking changes in the 72nd minute while leading 3-2, replacing defensive midfielder Declan Rice with Morgan Rogers alongside other offensive additions.
Former England forward Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for BBC Sport, praised the moves. "I absolutely love these subs," Rooney said.
"If you sit back and wait for Croatia to come on then it gets nervy. It's brave and shows he's trying to win the game."
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, reporting for BBC Radio 5 Live, agreed. "The way he made his subs was brave and bold.
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They came on and affected the game," Robinson said. He added that the performance of the substitutes gave Tuchel significant selection options moving forward.
