Dallas: England opened their FIFA World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling Group E clash that lived up to its billing as one of the tournament’s toughest groups. Captain Harry Kane led the way with a brace as the Three Lions gained sweet revenge for their 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat to the Croatians.
Kane struck from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and added a powerful header just before halftime, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford found the net in the second half to seal England’s impressive victory. Martin Baturina and Petar Musa scored for Croatia, who twice fought back to level the contest before England pulled away after the break.
The match burst into life early when England were awarded a penalty in the ninth minute after Croatian captain Luka Modric brought down Noni Madueke inside the box. Kane’s initial spot-kick was saved by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but a VAR review ruled that the goalkeeper had moved off his line prematurely. Given a second opportunity, Kane made no mistake, blasting the ball into the net to hand England a 1-0 lead.
Croatia responded strongly and restored parity in the 36th minute. Petar Sucic found Martin Baturina on the edge of the box, and the midfielder unleashed a stunning long-range effort into the bottom corner, beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford.
England regained the lead six minutes later from a corner. Declan Rice delivered a precise cross into the area, where an unmarked Kane rose highest to power a header past Livakovic and make it 2-1.
However, Croatia struck again deep into first-half stoppage time. Ivan Perisic’s headed pass found Petar Musa, who reacted quickest to divert the ball into the net and ensure the teams went into the interval level at 2-2.
England came out with renewed intensity after the break and reclaimed the advantage just two minutes into the second half. Elliot Anderson threaded a pass through to Jude Bellingham, who surged into the Croatian penalty area and calmly slotted past the goalkeeper to make it 3-2.
The Three Lions dominated much of the second half, with Kane, Rice and Nico O’Reilly orchestrating a series of dangerous attacks that kept Croatia pinned back. As the match progressed, Croatia struggled to create meaningful opportunities and increasingly found themselves under pressure.
England finally put the result beyond doubt in the 85th minute. Capitalising on a defensive error, Bukayo Saka supplied a perfectly weighted pass to Marcus Rashford. The forward drove into the penalty area, beat his marker and fired a low shot past Livakovic to complete the scoring.
With the convincing 4-2 victory, England collected three valuable points and made an early statement in what is widely regarded as the World Cup’s toughest group. Croatia, meanwhile, were left to rue defensive lapses despite producing an entertaining attacking display.
