England roared back from a nervy first half to beat Croatia 4-2 in their World Cup Group L opener in Dallas, with substitute Marcus Rashford sealing the victory after a Thomas Tuchel half-time speech that captain Harry Kane described as a message not to be afraid.
Twice England let the lead slip before the break. Harry Kane had put them ahead with a retaken penalty after Noni Madueke won the spot-kick, but Croatia equalised. Jude Bellingham then scored a brilliant goal to restore the lead, only for Croatia to level again. Jordan Pickford looked shaky and was at fault for Martin Baturina's goal, though he made a crucial late save.
“Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed England's 4-2 win over Croatia after a Thomas Tuchel half-time speech inspired a second-half turnaround.”
"Credit to the manager. He gave us a speech at halftime. He just said if we lose, we lose, but don't be afraid," Kane revealed. "It was a really good second half. Some of the things they did in the first ten minutes of the second half was fantastic."
Gary Neville, watching for ITV, said: "Tuchel has given them an absolute rocket at half-time. They were blasted." But Jude Bellingham insisted it was measured: "It wasn't one of those where it was a big drama, he wasn't standing up shouting."
Tuchel himself said: "The first half was nervy and we struggled to find momentum."
England's response was immediate. Kane equaled England's World Cup finals scoring record with his second of the night, a header from Declan Rice's pinpoint corner. Bellingham, who had lost the ball in the buildup to Croatia's first goal, made amends with his strike. Then, with 18 minutes left, substitute Marcus Rashford — whose future remains uncertain after Barcelona decided not to trigger a £26m option to make his loan permanent — picked his spot brilliantly to make it 4-2. The 25-year-old will return to Manchester United after the World Cup, where he has two years left on a £325,000-a-week contract. United have given his number 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha and head coach Michael Carrick said in April no decision had been made.
Elliot Anderson, rated eight by the Guardian, was instrumental, while Kane was awarded nine for his quarterback-like performance. Dominik Livakovic made several saves to keep the scoreline respectable for Croatia.
England now look ahead to a last-32 encounter in Atlanta, with momentum restored by a half-time talk that transformed their tournament.