Thursday 18 / June / 2026
Dallas: England coach Thomas Tuchel praised England's strong second-half display after a difficult first half as the Three Lions registered a 4-2 win against Croatia in their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign opener at the Dallas Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday (local time).
Tuchel said he loved the team's reaction to a "very complicated first half" against Croatia, as per a Reuters report.
While captain Harry Kane scored twice, Croatia equalised on both occasions through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa before halftime. England then took control after the break, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford finding the net to secure the victory.
After the match, Tuchel praised England's second-half performance, saying he was pleased with the team's response after a challenging first half against Croatia. Notably, while England is ranked fourth in the World FIFA rankings, Croatia is placed 14th.
"I love the second half, all of it. I love the reaction to a very complicated first half against top opponents," he said as quoted by Reuters.
Tuchel said England appeared nervous at times and overcomplicated their play, taking too long to make decisions and often choosing the wrong option on the ball.
"I think we showed a bit of nerves, maybe we wanted to overdo it, but we clearly overthought our decisions, it took us too long to take decisions. When we could play short we played long, and when we could play long we played short," he said.
Tuchel admitted England dropped too deep and became overly cautious after taking the lead, which allowed Croatia back into the game. However, he was delighted with his side's strong response and improved performance after halftime.
"We spent way too much time in a low block, which is also not our identity, and not what we wanted to have. The leads, both leads, didn't make us more free. I had the impression we had to protect something now, we were punished for it, which is psychologically not easy. But I love the reaction after halftime," Tuchel added.
Tuchel said there is still room for improvement, but stressed that it is normal early in a tournament.
"There's still things to improve. I think this is also quite normal. After a first match, you need to grow into a tournament. We got a tough draw in the tournament, so the positives are clearly the ones we will focus on now and enjoy the moment, and we have enough days to adjust," he said.
Coming to the match, Kane scored twice and Bellingham produced a standout second-half strike, while substitute Rashford added a late goal to complete the victory.
England were handed an early opportunity when Noni Madueke was fouled by Luka Modric inside the box, winning a penalty in the 11th minute.
Dominik Livakovic initially saved Kane's effort, but VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had stepped off his line early, forcing a retake. Kane converted the second attempt to give England the lead.
Croatia responded well and levelled the score in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. Luka Sucic's incisive run ended with a cut-back to Baturina, who fired a powerful shot past Jordan Pickford during a strong phase of Croatian pressure.
The England skipper Kane delivered a commanding display, scoring a brace against Croatia, with one goal coming from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and another in the 42nd minute, helping England secure a strong start to their campaign.
Kane became only the second England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), joining legend David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006).
The Bayern Munich striker also equalled another major milestone, reaching 10 FIFA World Cup goals -- the joint-most by an England player alongside Gary Lineker.
In addition, Kane set a new global benchmark by scoring the most non-penalty shootout penalties in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to five.
During the clash, Ivan Perisic also became the second player to register an assist at four different FIFA World Cup tournaments. The Croatian player joined Argentine legend Lionel Messi as the only players in history to achieve this feat.
