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England began its journey in the 2026 World Cup with a resounding victory over Croatia: 4-2 this Wednesday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in a back-and-forth match that was decided in the second half.
The reflects a clear dominance by the English: 21 shots to eight from Croatia, 11 on target to five, and eight corners to one.
Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 12th minute from the penalty spot. Croatia responded with a goal from Martín Baturina in the 36th minute to level the match, but Kane put his team ahead again in the 42nd minute with his second goal of the game.
The break came with a tie: Petar Musa scored in the 45th minute to level the score at 2-2 and keep Croatia's hopes alive, as they did not give up at any point in the first half.
The match fell apart right after the restart. Jude Bellingham scored to make it 3-2 in the 47th minute, just two minutes after the whistle blew for the second half, and that goal tipped the balance in favor of England.
With the double, Kane equaled Gary Lineker as the highest English scorer in World Cup history, a historic milestone that adds significance to his performance in Arlington.
One of the symbolic moments of the match came in the 58th minute: Luka Modric, 40 years old and in his fifth World Cup with Croatia, was substituted for Mateo Kovacic. The image of the Croatian captain leaving the field encapsulated the generational change occurring within the Balkan national team.
Marcus Rashford, who came in from the bench in the 72nd minute, sealed the victory with the 4-2 goal in the 85th minute, eliminating any chance of a Croatian comeback.
With this result, with three points and a goal difference of +2, while Croatia starts the tournament with zero points.
The group is completed by Ghana and Panama. The upcoming matches for both teams are coming soon: England will face Ghana on June 23, and Croatia needs to earn points against Panama on June 24 to avoid the brink of elimination.
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