England overpowers Croatia 4-2 as Harry Kane's double ignites World Cup campaign in Dallas
Harry Kane's two first-half goals and a Jude Bellingham strike powered England to a convincing 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening Group L match at the 2026 World Cup in Arlington, Texas.
A statement opening
The weight of expectation was heavy, but England delivered. Coming into the tournament as European vice-champions, the Three Lions made clear their intentions with a dominant 4-2 victory over Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up and 2022 semi-finalists. The match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was billed as the standout fixture of Group L, and it lived up to that billing with six goals, a saved penalty retaken, and individual performances that underscored England's depth of attacking talent.
England surpassed Croatia in a thrilling match dominated by the Three Lions.
The win gives Thomas Tuchel's side an early lead in Group L, ahead of the Ghana-Panama fixture scheduled for the early hours of 18 June (European time).
First-half fireworks
The match began cautiously, both sides measuring each other in the Texas heat. The deadlock broke in the 12th minute when Noni Madueke drew a foul from Luka Modric in the box. Harry Kane stepped up but saw his initial penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic. Referee Clément Turpin ordered a retake, judging the Croatian goalkeeper had moved off his line, and Kane made no mistake on the second attempt.
Jude Bellingham then took over, weaving through defenders and creating chaos. Croatia responded unexpectedly in the 36th minute, Martin Baturina firing from 20 metres past a diving Jordan Pickford to level at 1-1. But England's captain restored the lead just before halftime, heading home a Declan Rice corner in the 42nd minute. The drama was not finished: deep into stoppage time, Ivan Perisic found Musa, who beat Pickford to make it 2-2 at the break.
- 12th minute: Harry Kane scores on retaken penalty after Livakovic save disallowed (1-0)
- 36th minute: Martin Baturina equalises from 20 metres (1-1)
- 42nd minute: Harry Kane heads in Declan Rice corner (2-1)
- 45th+5 minute: Musa scores after Perisic assist (2-2)
- 47th minute: Jude Bellingham restores England lead (3-2)
Bellingham asserts control
If the first half was a rollercoaster, the second half belonged to Bellingham. Two minutes after the restart, the midfielder drove forward, shrugged off his marker, and fired past Livakovic to make it 3-2. He nearly added another moments later, and England pressed relentlessly for a fourth.
Livakovic kept Croatia in the contest with a string of saves, at one point denying three successive efforts in the 55th minute. Marcus Rashford eventually found the net to seal the result, completing a 4-2 scoreline that reflected England's superiority.
Kane equals Lineker
Harry Kane's double was more than just the match-winning contribution. His two goals took his World Cup tally to 10, drawing him level with Gary Lineker as England's joint all-time top scorer at the tournament. The Bayern Munich striker has now been directly involved in 200 goals in 178 appearances across all competitions since joining the German club in 2023 (168 goals, 32 assists).
- Gary Lineker
- 10 goals
- Harry Kane
- 10 goals
Kane entered a little further into the legend of his national team.
What comes next
England lead Group L after this opening fixture. Ghana and Panama, the group's other two teams, play in the early hours of 18 June (1 a.m. Central European Time). The winner of England-Croatia was widely seen as taking a decisive step toward the round of 16, and Tuchel's side have done exactly that. Croatia, while showing flashes of the resilience that carried them deep in past tournaments, must now regroup quickly to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.
