England's fans were carried out of the magnificent Dallas Stadium into the warm night air on a carpet of exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel's side delivered a powerful statement of intent in a 4-2 win over Croatia.
Harry Kane told his England team-mates to be 'free in the mind' and embrace the pressures the World Cup brings – and they took him at his word for good and bad. The captain scored twice to equal Gary Lineker's record of 10 World Cup goals for his country, but his side's defensive frailties allowed Croatia to fight back each time.
“England opened their World Cup with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia, mixing brilliant attack and worrying defence.”
Tuchel could barely disguise his displeasure as England led twice through Kane, only for poor defending to let the ever-dangerous Croatia back into the game. The selection of Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was contentious, and Aston Villa's defender did not make a compelling case for his continued inclusion.
England have been a hard watch for much of the recent era, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar four years ago. Those tournaments were dry fare, despite deep runs. Sir Gareth Southgate's excellent record showed the ends justified much of the means, but it was rarely done in a style that moved you towards the edge of your seat.
Not here. Dull this was not – although admittedly not always in a way Tuchel would have enjoyed. This was a game you could not turn your gaze away from for a second, whether it was watching the cold fury of the head coach in the first half, then an attacking siege in the second half which led to him falling into the arms of countryman Jurgen Klopp on the touchline when he spotted the former Liverpool manager working as a TV pundit.
Whatever Tuchel said at half-time – and it was unlikely to have been pleasantries – was the catalyst for an outstanding attacking display that swept Croatia aside. But whether they will love it if England defend so poorly against better opposition is another matter. The thought of world-class strikers being faced with the sort of slipshod defence we saw in Dallas, especially in the first half, will be a very sobering takeaway for Tuchel, who will know it was simply not good enough.