England and Croatia Deliver a Wild World Cup Opener

England and Croatia opened their 2026 World Cup campaigns overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in a dramatic, high-scoring match that drew widespread reaction online. England led twice, Croatia came back twice, and the game remained wide open throughout as both sides created numerous big chances and were close to adding many more goals.

The decisive moment came at the start of the second half, when Jude Bellingham scored England’s third goal to make it 3-2. Even after that, the pace and intensity of the match kept fans and observers captivated, with social media describing it as a match full of chaos and entertainment.

Reactions online called it the “game of the tournament,” “absolute cinema,” and a contest that “could not disappoint.” One user wrote that “anything can happen here” after Bellingham’s goal, while another said it was a “match that cannot disappoint.” Another post said Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had “turned into Buffon,” referring to Gianluigi Buffon.