England opened their World Cup 2026 campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia on Wednesday as Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame a difficult first half to secure all three points.
Goals from Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford helped the Three Lions make a winning start against one of the tournament’s most experienced sides.
Despite eventually running out deserved winners, England were made to work for the result after Croatia repeatedly tested them during an open and competitive contest.
England respond after difficult opening period
England showed flashes of quality early on but struggled to find their rhythm for large periods of the first half.
Croatia’s experience and composure in possession caused problems, while England appeared hesitant at times when building attacks.
Tuchel admitted afterwards that his players looked nervous during the opening exchanges.
“We played against a top opponent,” Tuchel said, quoted on Sky Sports.
“We showed a bit of nerves. Maybe we wanted to overdo it.
“But we clearly over-thought our decisions. It took us too long to take decisions. We couldn’t find the rhythm in our game.”
The England manager also felt his side spent too much time defending deep.
“We spent way too much time in a low block which is not our identity,” he added.
READ MORE: World Cup 2026 round-up: England shine, Portugal stumble and Ghana leave it late
Tuchel delighted with second-half response
England emerged after the break with far greater intensity and purpose.
The Three Lions pressed higher, moved the ball quicker and created a series of chances that ultimately proved decisive.
Tuchel was particularly pleased with the way his side responded to the challenges they faced in the first half.
“I loved the second half. All of it,” he said.
“I loved the reaction to a very complicated first half.”
The German revealed he encouraged his players to play with greater freedom and confidence after the interval.
“We encouraged them to go for it, to play with more courage, be brave and be ourselves,” he said.
England’s improved attacking play was rewarded as Bellingham and Rashford both found the net during an impressive second-half display.
Three Lions show attacking quality
One of the most encouraging aspects of the performance for England supporters was the variety of attacking threats on display.
Kane once again led the line effectively, while Bellingham’s influence continued to grow as the match progressed.
Rashford also provided an important contribution as England repeatedly exposed Croatia in transition.
“We created a lot of chances,” Tuchel said. “We had a lot of ball wins. We scored goals.”
Positive start but room for improvement
The victory places England in a strong position heading into their remaining group-stage fixtures, but Tuchel believes there is still work to do.
“Overall I think we deserved to win,” he said.
“There are still things to improve. This is quite normal after the first match. You need to grow into a tournament.”
For England, however, the most important objective was securing three points.
They achieved that in convincing fashion and will now look to build on an encouraging start to their World Cup campaign.
READ NEXT: World Cup 2026 news: Recovery process is vital; give Thomas Tuchel time, says Hasselbaink
Simon Wilkes 
Michael Davey