For the opening 45 minutes under the giant Victorian train station roof at the Dallas Stadium, England played like faulty machines – scared, robotic, contributing almost zero free-form football to a 2-2 half-time score that included two Harry Kane set-piece goals; the first a penalty after a corner, set piece squared. Croatia had equalised twice, and the fear was that Thomas Tuchel’s England would go down in a singularity of deathly set moves and dead hope.
Then came Jude Bellingham. The most important thing happened, not just in this game but in Tuchel’s time with England. Bellingham took a simple pass over the top in the right channel and just kept going – all drive and focus, with a rising sense of inevitability. He left two defenders in his vapour trail and produced a fine, cold, guided finish into the far corner at full sprint. It was an angry goal, and in exactly the right way. ‘An angry goal, in exactly the right way,’ as the Guardian’s Barney Ronay described it.
“Jude Bellingham’s angry goal turned England’s World Cup opener from robotic fear into a 4-2 win over Croatia.”
That moment changed everything. England swarmed all over Croatia for the next 10 minutes, and Barcelona star Marcus Rashford rounded off a stunning 4-2 victory with an ice cool finish on 85 minutes. The win was England’s World Cup opener, and it was a thriller.
Back in the Texas Live indoor arena, thousands of England fans watched the goals fly in on a giant 100ft screen. Mechanical technician Tom Critchley from Preston, Lancashire, hailed the England talisman Kane. “You don’t get 60 goals a season by accident,” he said. “It was class. I think we will learn what Thomas Tuchel is all about now.”
Joe Salazar, 38, from Blackburn, Lancashire, had travelled from Vancouver, Canada, after buying $500 (£375) tickets on the FIFA website. “It has been a great trip, the people here have been so hospitable,” he said. “We have been here for five days so we were raring to go.”
Many fans were expats or US-based. Mark and Michelle Lynch, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won four $500 tickets on a FIFA draw. Their son Finley, eight, plays for Inter Miami under eights alongside Lionel Messi’s son Ciro, who Finley says plays “just like his dad”. Mark, originally from Bournemouth, said: “I registered on the FIFA site, entered the lottery and won the tickets.” Michelle added: “Lionel Messi’s English is not so good but his wife Antonella speaks excellent English. They are a lovely family.”
The fanzone was festooned with flags from Stoke City, Brits in St Louis, West Ham United and Oldham Athletic. Fans joked the “joint was really jumping”. And as the final whistle blew, the chants of “It’s Coming Home” rang out. After a first half of fear, Bellingham had kicked over the console table – and England had found their pulse.