On the eve of England’s World Cup opener, more than 5,000 beers were sold at the Londoner Pub in Dallas as hundreds of fans defied police pleas to move on. Organiser John Gallivan, 39, from Bristol, said the scale of Texas had made it far harder for fans to find each other than at previous tournaments in Europe. “America’s massive, it’s so big, so vast,” he said. Officers closed the pub early due to maximum capacity, leaving fans on the balcony for another two hours. At one point, a small group dropped plants off the edge. But by the end of the evening, many supporters stayed to help clean up.
The next day, England delivered a 4-2 victory over Croatia at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Captain Harry Kane scored twice in the first half, including a retaken penalty, taking his World Cup tally to ten goals – equalling Gary Lineker’s all-time England record. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford added goals after the interval, with Rashford’s 85th-minute strike sealing the win. The crowd erupted into a stadium-wide rendition of “Football’s Coming Home”.
“England beat Croatia 4-2 in World Cup opener as fans bought 5,000 beers despite police orders.”
Among those watching was American Jessica Long, a former London marathon runner, who told the Mirror: “This is brilliant what an amazing day. The World Cup is fantastic – look at everyone coming together.” England fans sang “Hey Jude”, “Wonderwall” and “Sweet Caroline” as they celebrated what older supporters recalled as a repeat of the 1966 final scoreline.
But the win came with fitness concerns. Kane was spotted with strapping on his calf after the match, while vice-captain Declan Rice limped off and was replaced by Morgan Rogers. Manager Thomas Tuchel said: “Let’s see. I hope they’re OK. I would never take Declan out normally. We are exhausted but I loved exhausted players in the dressing room.”
England now face Ghana next Tuesday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. A win could secure top spot in Group L, potentially setting up a round-of-32 tie against a third-place finisher and a possible quarter-final against Brazil.