Harry Kane scored twice as England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia in a thrilling Group L encounter at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday.
The Three Lions produced an attacking display full of energy and creativity, while Croatia fought back twice before England’s superior quality eventually secured all three points.
England earned an early penalty in the ninth minute when Noni Madueke reached the ball ahead of Luka Modric, who caught the winger with a late challenge inside the area. Referee pointed straight to the spot and Kane stepped up to take the kick.
Although Dominik Livakovic initially saved the penalty, a VAR review showed the Croatian goalkeeper had moved off his line before the ball was struck. The penalty had to be retaken, giving England a second opportunity to break the deadlock.
Kane showed his experience in the 12th minute as he calmly sent Livakovic the wrong way with his second attempt to hand England an early lead.
England continued to threaten and nearly doubled their advantage in the 31st minute. Madueke delivered an inviting cross from the right flank, but Jude Bellingham narrowly failed to connect with the ball in front of goal.
Croatia responded strongly and found an equaliser five minutes later. Martin Baturina punished England for losing possession in midfield and unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the area. Jordan Pickford managed to get a hand on the effort, but he could not keep it out as Croatia levelled at 1-1.
England regained the lead in the 42nd minute through their captain. Declan Rice delivered an excellent corner into the danger area and Kane timed his run perfectly before directing a superb header into the corner of the net.
The goal carried added significance for Kane, who moved level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England.
However, Croatia hit back again deep into first-half stoppage time. Ivan Perisic collected a brilliant pass before squaring for Petar Musa, who arrived at the perfect moment and finished confidently beyond Pickford to make it 2-2.
England entered the break with plenty of positives from their attacking play, but defensive mistakes had allowed Croatia to stay in the contest despite being under pressure for much of the half.
The match also marked a major milestone for Luka Modric, who made his 20th appearance at the FIFA World Cup for Croatia.
England restored their advantage almost immediately after the restart. In the 47th minute, Jude Bellingham produced a moment of brilliance with a powerful run down the right before drilling a low effort across goal and in off the post.
The move started with a clever pass from Elliot Anderson, while Madueke’s intelligent movement dragged defenders away and created space for Bellingham to attack.
England then pushed hard for a fourth goal and only Livakovic prevented Croatia from falling further behind. The goalkeeper produced a remarkable triple save in the 56th minute as England scrambled for a finish inside the penalty area.
Two minutes later, Livakovic again came to Croatia’s rescue with outstanding saves from Ezri Konsa and Kane. England dominated possession and chances, while Croatia struggled to contain the relentless pressure.
Thomas Tuchel introduced fresh attacking options in the 72nd minute, sending on Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka in place of Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Madueke.
The changes immediately injected more pace into England’s attack. Rashford nearly capitalised on a loose back pass two minutes later, but Livakovic reacted quickly to clear the danger.
Croatia remained a threat on the counterattack and Jordan Pickford had to make an important save in the 77th minute to deny Marco Pasalic’s curling effort.
England finally secured breathing space five minutes from time. Two substitutes combined brilliantly on the break as Djed Spence delivered a pass across goal for Saka, who immediately found Rashford inside the box.
The Manchester United forward shifted onto his right foot and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to make it 4-2 and effectively end Croatia’s hopes of a comeback.
Croatia had one final opportunity in stoppage time from a corner, but Kane showed his commitment at both ends of the pitch. Josko Gvardiol found space at the near post, only for the England captain to make a crucial block.
At full time, England celebrated a deserved victory and a perfect start to their World Cup campaign. Their attacking football created constant problems for Croatia, and although defensive lapses allowed the opposition back into the game twice, the Three Lions always looked the more dangerous side.
Before this match, England had lost only one of their previous eight World Cup opening games, a 2-1 defeat to Italy in 2014. Croatia arrived with an impressive group-stage record after going unbeaten across their last two World Cup group campaigns, winning four and drawing two while conceding only two goals.
That record came to an end in Dallas as England delivered one of the most exciting performances of the tournament so far, with Kane’s double, Bellingham’s brilliance and Rashford’s late finish sealing a memorable 4-2 victory.
