England opened the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday with a convincing 4-2 win over Croatia in Arlington, Texas, in Group 12. But the match was defined less by the scoreline than by Thomas Tuchel’s halftime address, which the English media said transformed a tense, hesitant first half into a dominant second-half display.
Harry Kane twice put England ahead, only for Croatia to answer each time. Martin Baturina made it 1-1 with a long-range strike into the top corner, and Petar Musa equalized at 2-2 just before halftime. England looked technically superior but worried more about protecting its lead than extending it. Tuchel, coaching at a World Cup with a national team for the first time, told his players, “Even if we lose, it will not change my view of the 17 days we have spent together, but let’s lose our way.”
The message landed immediately. Two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham drove forward and scored a superb goal to restore England’s lead, and from then on the match became one-sided. Kane said Tuchel told them to “raise the tempo” and force Croatia to play England’s game. “That is exactly what we did,” he said. “You saw England at the highest level.” Bellingham said it was not a dramatic speech, but “the conversation the team needed.”
Kane finished with two goals, bringing his World Cup total to 10 and tying Gary Lineker as England’s top scorer in World Cup history. He also became only the second English player after David Beckham to score in three different World Cups. Marcus Rashford, who came off the bench, scored the fourth goal five minutes from time. Declan Rice also impressed before leaving with discomfort in his lower back and hamstring. England’s victory also ended a long drought against top-tier opposition, as it was their first win over a team ranked in FIFA’s top 15 since beating Argentina in 2002. Croatia were ranked 11th, and England had gone nine matches without such a win, including seven defeats.
