Bellingham and Kane inspire England to thrilling victory over Croatia

Abayomi Ademola

England launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia as Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford produced a dominant second-half display under Thomas Tuchel.

Harry Kane gave England the lead from the penalty spot after he was allowed to retake his initial shot following an encroachment, but Croatia quickly responded with a powerful strike from Martin Baturina. Kane restored England’s lead with a header from a Declan Rice corner to score his tenth World Cup goal and equal Gary Lineker’s England record, only for Petar Musa to equalize again before half-time after Ivan Perisic headed the ball into his path.

England looked vulnerable defensively in the first half, prompting criticism from assistant coach Anthony Barry, who described parts of the performance as “appalling”. However, Tuchel’s team returned transformed after the break and took control of the match with relentless offensive pressure. Bellingham restored the lead after entering the box and firing a low shot against the post following a pass from Elliot Anderson.

Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made several important saves to keep his team in the game, but substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the victory with five minutes remaining. Found by Bukayo Saka inside the area, Rashford clipped his right foot before calmly finishing past Livakovic to secure three points for England, who will face Ghana in Group L.