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FIFA World Cup 2026: England survive Croatia scare as Kane, Bellingham and Tuchel's subs deliver
Although Harry Kane's brace and Jude Bellingham's goal stole the show, Thomas Tuchel's substitutions proved equally important in getting all three points.
England began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on a dominant note, clinching an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia in Group L in Dallas. The result showcased England's attacking firepower and depth, as seen in Thomas Tuchel's substitutions.
England started strong, taking the lead through the captain, Harry Kane. Kane got lucky as England were awarded a penalty in the 12th minute. He missed his initial attempt, but VAR judged the Croatian goalkeeper to have come out of his line before the shot. Taking the penalty again, Kane converted it, giving England the lead.
Croatia responded strongly, refusing to let the match slip away. Their equaliser came in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. He unleashed a thunderbolt from outside the area, which flew past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Pickford would have been disappointed as he got his fingertip to it.
Harry Kane bags brace
The Three Lions regained the advantage before half-time as Kane headed in a corner kick in the 42nd minute, once again proving why he is his side's main attacking threat.
Croatia responded instantly as Petar Musa found the equaliser just before half-time to make it 2-2.
The second half began perfectly for England as Jude Bellingham restored the lead immediately after the restart. He finished off an attacking sequence and found the bottom-left corner for his goal. After Bellingham's goal. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced a triple save to keep his side in the game.
Tuchel's masterstroke
Croatia remained dangerous, and Livakovic made some saves. Tuchel made some changes, injecting fresh energy into his side. It paid off handsomely as substitute Bukayo Saka found Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute. Rashford, who came on as a substitute too, placed it past the goalkeeper in the bottom right corner, making it 4-2.
England kept hold of the lead and ended the match with a 4-2 victory. The result capped off an impressive second-half showing from England. Although Kane's brace and Bellingham's goal stole the show, Tuchel's substitutions proved equally important in getting all three points.
For Croatia, there were a few positives, but some glaring negatives. Baturina and Musa's goals showed their attacking quality. But their defence lacked structure, and errors at key moments proved too costly. Meanwhile, Luka Modric looked out of touch too.
