Harry Kane was the star of the match with a double, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford completed the victory for the Three Lions.
Kane opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a penalty that had to be repeated due to the Croatian goalkeeper’s overtaking. In the 42nd minute they extended the lead with a powerful header after a cross from Declan Rice. Croatia responded with a great goal from Martin Baturina from outside the area in the 36th minute and tied momentarily with a goal from Petar Musa.
In the second half, Jude Bellingham scored 3-2 at the start of the second half and Marcus Rashford made it 4-2 in the final minutes. England showed offensive fluidity and took advantage of set pieces, while Croatia, led by Luka Modrić in their fifth World Cup, offered resistance, but could not avoid defeat.
With this victory, England has three important points and provisionally leads Group L. Kane reached 10 goals in World Cups and equaled Gary Lineker as England’s all-time top scorer in the competition. In addition, he reached 80 goals with the English team.
The match was intense, with chances for both teams. Thomas Tuchel observed an ambitious and vertical version of his team, which combined experience and youth, as Kane had pointed out before the game. Croatia, for its part, once again demonstrated its competitive nature despite the losses and the seniority of its squad.
England, one of the favorites for the title, took a firm step in its goal of breaking the 60-year drought without winning a World Cup. Croatia, protagonist in recent editions, will seek to recover in its next group commitments.