England Survives Croatian Fightback in Six-Goal World Cup Thriller

By Cristina Burgos

DALLAS, Texas — England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia in a pulsating Group Stage clash that featured six goals, dramatic momentum swings, and standout performances from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

In front of a lively crowd at Dallas Stadium, the Three Lions showed both their attacking firepower and defensive vulnerabilities before eventually pulling away late to secure all three points.

England started brightly and earned an early breakthrough after Noni Madueke won a penalty when Luka Modrić's high boot caught him inside the area. Harry Kane initially saw his spot kick saved by Dominik Livaković, but VAR ordered a retake due to encroachment. Given a second opportunity, the England captain made no mistake, blasting his penalty into the net in the 12th minute.

The goal saw Kane equal Gary Lineker's record of 10 World Cup goals for England and set the tone for another memorable night on football's biggest stage.

Despite England's control, Croatia gradually settled into the match and found an equalizer in the 36th minute. Petar Sučić brilliantly skipped past John Stones before laying the ball into the path of Martin Baturina, whose powerful strike beat Jordan Pickford despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

England responded quickly.

Just six minutes later, Declan Rice delivered a perfect corner into the heart of the box and Kane rose highest to power a header into the bottom corner, restoring England's lead at 2-1 and moving into sole possession of England's World Cup scoring record.

However, Croatia refused to go away.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ivan Perišić cushioned a header into the path of Petar Musa, who volleyed home brilliantly to level the match at 2-2 and silence the England supporters heading into halftime.

Whatever Thomas Tuchel said in the dressing room worked.

Just two minutes after the restart, England reclaimed the lead through Bellingham. Elliot Anderson's clever pass found the Real Madrid star, who drove into the box and calmly slotted a finish beyond Livaković to make it 3-2.

The goal sparked England's best spell of the match.

Bellingham, Rice, Anthony Gordon, and Kane all came close as Croatia struggled to contain the Three Lions' attacking waves. Livaković was forced into a series of outstanding saves, including stops from Rice, Gordon, Kane, and O'Reilly to keep his side within touching distance.

Croatia continued to threaten through Luka Modrić, Petar Musa, and later substitutes Andrej Kramarić and Nikola Vlašić, but Pickford produced several important interventions to preserve England's advantage.

With Croatia pushing numbers forward in search of another equalizer, England delivered the knockout punch five minutes from time.

Bukayo Saka, introduced from the bench, combined beautifully with Morgan Rogers before slipping Marcus Rashford into space on the left flank. Rashford cut inside his defender and calmly rolled his finish into the far corner to make it 4-2 and effectively end the contest.

The goal capped an impressive impact from England's substitutes and underlined the depth available to Tuchel throughout the tournament.

Croatia nearly grabbed a late consolation when Joško Gvardiol's effort from a corner was heroically blocked by Kane, who contributed at both ends of the pitch during a captain's performance.

The final whistle confirmed a deserved victory for England, who finished with the better chances and consistently looked more dangerous going forward.

For Croatia, there were encouraging signs despite the defeat. Baturina impressed in midfield, Perišić continued to influence games at the highest level, and the team showed tremendous resilience by twice coming from behind.

For England, however, the night belonged to Kane and Bellingham.

Kane's brace moved him further into the history books, while Bellingham once again demonstrated why he is considered one of the world's premier midfielders. Combined with Rashford's late strike, England's star power proved decisive in a thrilling World Cup opener.

The Three Lions leave Dallas with three points and early momentum, while Croatia must regroup quickly as the race for qualification in the group intensifies.