England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his squad after a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their World Cup opener in Dallas on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Harry Kane scored twice in the first half, while Jude Bellingham added a goal early in the second half.
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Marcus Rashford, who came on as a substitute for Anthony Gordon, scored the final goal.
Kane's Leadership
Kane's two goals tied him with Gary Lineker as England's top World Cup scorer with 10 goals.
However, Tuchel highlighted a defensive block Kane made against Josko Gvardiol in extra time.
“If you see the commitment of our captain, of our No 9 in the extra time, to block a crucial shot after a set-piece with all his body and his commitment to buy into a defensive action like this then you know everything about his performance today,” said Tuchel.
The manager added that Kane is in excellent physical and mental shape. “A complete performance.
Absolute leader. He's all in.
Physically, mentally. It's the full package at the moment.
He wants it and he leads by example, so we're very happy,” said Tuchel.
Bellingham's Impact
Bellingham started in the attacking midfield position over Morgan Rogers and became the youngest European player to appear in four major tournaments at 22 years and 353 days old.
“You can rely on Jude in these moments. He loves these pressure games.
That brings out the best in him,” said Tuchel.
