England opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a thrilling 3-1 victory over Croatia, fueled by an inspiring halftime speech from manager Thomas Tuchel, as reported by The Guardian.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham scored after Croatia twice equalized in the first half. Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the win late in the second half.
Kane opened the scoring from a penalty and later assisted from a corner, equaling Gary Lineker's record for most goals by an England player at World Cup finals.
"He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and let's go. He said what's the worst that can happen?
Show the world who we can be," Kane said.
The England captain praised the team's second-half response, saying they controlled the game after regaining the lead.
"We came out in the second half full gas and they couldn't live with it," he added.
Team Leadership and Injury Concerns
Jude Bellingham credited collective leadership in the dressing room for stabilizing the team. "It wasn't a big drama or shouting; it was what the team needed," he said.
Midfielder Declan Rice was substituted in the second half due to lower back and hamstring discomfort. Tuchel described it as a precautionary measure.
"He feels discomfort. I didn't want to take any risks," Tuchel said.
The manager expressed optimism after Rice reassured him post-match.
Tuchel admitted the team showed nerves in the first half, leading to excessive backward passes.
"Sometimes if you want to get it so perfectly right, you overthink it," he explained.
The manager encouraged the players to remain fearless.
"I told them to calm down, calm their nerves, and encourage them to do it our way," he said.
