England defeats Croatia 4-2 in World Cup Group L opener

England secured a commanding 4-2 victory over Croatia in a goal-filled encounter during the first round of Group L matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America on June 17. Captain Harry Kane scored twice, equalling the English national team record for World Cup goals, as England dominated much of the match despite a tightly contested first half.

The fixture marked a rematch of the 2018 Russia World Cup semi-final, when Croatia staged a dramatic comeback to defeat England 2-1 after extra time and advance to the final. Eight years later, the two captains—Kane and Croatia's Luka Modrić—faced off again as starting players. England's tactical adjustments at half-time proved decisive in securing the opening group-stage victory. Kane converted a penalty after just nine minutes (following a VAR review that identified an illegal early movement by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković), and added a second goal via a header from a corner kick in the 36th minute to give England a 2-1 lead at one point.

Croatia matched England's intensity throughout the opening 45 minutes, with goals from Andrej Kramarić and Petar Musa equalizing the match at 2-2 by half-time. England accelerated their tempo after the interval, with Jude Bellingham extending the lead to 3-2 in the 47th minute following a long pass from Elliott Anderson. Marcus Rashford, entering as a substitute in the 85th minute, secured England's victory with a curling shot into the far corner, demonstrating the team's sustained attacking pressure in the second half despite Croatian goalkeeper Livaković's several crucial saves.

Post-match, Kane praised manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical adjustments during the half-time interval, stating that the manager's instructions elevated England's intensity in the second half to levels Croatia struggled to match. Kane also expressed disappointment at England's first-half defensive lapses but emphasized the importance of the opening-match victory. England's next Group L fixture will pit them against Ghana in Boston, while Croatia travels to Toronto to face Panama.