England opened the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday night with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, but in Britain the main story was not Harry Kane’s brace or Jude Bellingham’s goal. Instead, attention focused on Thomas Tuchel’s halftime address, which players said transformed the match just before England took control.
The first half was lively but shaky. England went ahead twice through Kane, only for Croatia to respond each time and level the game at 2-2 before the break. Despite England’s clear edge in quality, the team had struggled to fully impose its style. In the dressing room, Tuchel delivered a blunt message: “Even if we lose, it will not change my opinion about the 17 days we have spent together, but let’s lose our way.”
According to the players, that message changed the atmosphere immediately. Two minutes after the restart, Bellingham restored England’s lead, and from there the match tilted heavily in England’s favor. Marcus Rashford, coming off the bench, added the late fourth goal as England began the tournament in convincing fashion.
Kane said Tuchel had told the team to raise the tempo and force Croatia to play England’s game. “That is exactly what we did. You saw England at its highest level,” he said, adding that for about 20 minutes in the second half England could have scored three or four more. Bellingham said it was not a dramatic speech, only “the conversation the team needed.” Kane also reached 10 World Cup goals, drawing level with Gary Lineker as England’s all-time top scorer in the tournament, and became only the second English player after David Beckham to score in three different World Cups. Wayne Rooney called it “one of the most exciting opening games I have seen in a major tournament for a very long time,” while former goalkeeper Paul Robinson described it as a “dream start” for Tuchel’s side.
