England began their Group L campaign with a thrilling 4–2 win over a determined Croatian side in a six-goal contest.
The breakthrough came in the 10th minute when Noni Madueke ran on to the ball ahead of Luka Modrić inside the penalty area, and the Croatian captain brought him down. The referee pointed to the spot without hesitation.
Dominik Livaković superbly saved Harry Kane’s first penalty, but celebrations were short-lived for Croatia as VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had moved off his line. Kane made no mistake the second time, coolly slotting the ball home to give England the lead.
England dominated possession and territory, pressing high up the pitch. However, Croatia hit back against the run of play in the 36th minute. Jude Bellingham lost possession in midfield, and Petar Sučić reacted quickest, threading a pass through for Martin Baturina. The midfielder powered a shot beyond Jordan Pickford into the bottom corner to make it 1–1.
Six minutes later, England were in front again. Declan Rice whipped in a tempting corner, and Kane rose highest to send a brilliant header into the far corner. It was his second goal of the night and his 10th in FIFA World Cup history, putting England 2–1 ahead.
But Croatia refused to go away. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ivan Perišić threaded a pass into the box and delivered a smart cross for Petar Musa, who arrived unmarked to slot home. Croatia were level once more, and the teams went into the break at 2–2 after a breathless first half.
England regained control almost immediately after the restart. In the 47th minute, Bellingham made his trademark run down the right and fired a low shot across goal and in off the post. The midfielder wheeled away with his arms outstretched as England went 3–2 up.
Between the 50th and 60th minutes, Livaković produced a string of superb saves to deny Rice, Madueke and Kane, keeping Croatia within touching distance.
As Croatia pushed for another equaliser in the dying minutes, gaps began to open up. England finally made them pay on the counter-attack, as Bukayo Saka set up Marcus Rashford, who found the bottom corner to seal a 4–2 victory and give Thomas Tuchel a winning start to the campaign.
England will be delighted not only with the result but also with the counter-attacking fluency they showed throughout. The depth of Tuchel’s squad was evident in Kane’s brace, Bellingham’s influential display and Rashford’s late strike. Croatia showed plenty of character to fight back twice, but England’s superior firepower proved decisive in the end as they began their Group L journey with an important and entertaining victory.
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