What a way for England to kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign! In arguably their toughest match of the group stage, England earned their first three points with a 4-2 win against Croatia. This win puts the Three Lions at the top of their group early on.

After a nervy first five minutes of the game, England began to find their momentum and apply pressure, creating chances early. In the 10th minute, England winger Noni Madueke was fouled in the box by Croatian captain Luka Modric, resulting in a penalty. Despite Harry Kane missing the first penalty, the replay showed the Croatian goalkeeper stepping off his line. Kane took the penalty a second time and found the back of the net.  

Not too long after, Croatia equalized when Martin Baturina curled the ball into the top-right corner, just scraping the fingertips of Jordan Pickford. However, the teams weren’t tied for long as Harry Kane towered above the Croatian defense and netted an excellent header, making him England’s all-time leading men’s World Cup scorer, with 10 goals. But the half didn’t end there. Croatia found another equalizer in first half extra time, sending the teams into the break level at 2-2. 

After an inspirational half-time speech from England manager Thomas Tuchel, England came out for the second half with high intensity. Jude Bellingham found the back of the net in the 47th minute, re-establishing England’s advantage early on. And it just kept getting better from there. The Three Lions demonstrated an electric second half, creating plenty of chances while controlling possession. Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the victory in the 85th minute with a composed finish into the bottom right corner, making the final score 4-2.

With Harry Kane dropping into deeper positions to connect play and making positive runs forward, England showed plenty of promise early in the tournament. If they keep up this effort and intensity, they will comfortably top their group and head confidently into the round of 32. If you’d like to continue to follow England during the group stages, catch their next games against Ghana and Panama on June 23rd and 27th.