Great match between two excellent teams: the first half ends 2-2, the English do better in the second half. Double from the Bayern center forward, who joins Lineker on 10 goals for the national team. At one o’clock Panama-Ghana will be on the pitch to complete the first round
In the 24 hours of stars, almost as if it were a car race, Harry Kane also manages to participate, printing his name among the scorers as the fundamental Kylian Mbappé, the Viking Erling Haaland or the immortal Leo Messi managed. England is there, joining the other great crowds amidst trumpet blasts. Struggles in the first half, imposes itself later. At the start he immediately thought it was easy, when he saw the captain celebrate after just 12 minutes, enriching his season streak which with Bayern says 61 goals in 51 games. The captain’s burning shot actually happens in two parts, because Livakovic saves the first penalty but goes off the line and referee Turpin has it repeated. England’s top scorer reaches 80, while Luka Modric puts his hands on his face for having caused the penalty almost like a rookie (kick to Madueke), instead he is in attendance number 199; his was not a happy match and after an hour the AC Milan player was replaced. But Croatia has character and also good “Italian” feet, they equalize with Baturina, a valuable diagonal shot after Sucic’s slalom, then Kane rolls up his sleeves and becomes the area battering ram from Rice’s corner: this becomes 81 centers for England and 8 in the poor year, thanks to the freedom the Croatians leave him in the area. Inclined plane for the English: no. Six seconds from the end of the first half, Musa, a local boy – given that he plays in MLS right here in Dallas – takes advantage of a jewel assist from Perisic and closes down Pickford. The sentence is thus postponed to the second half, when Bellingham displays his strength combined with technique for the superb 3-2 and Rice gives even more substance. The English could close immediately but wait until the 85th minute for substitute Rashford to make it 4-2.
English run-up
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The assault on a trophy kissed only once starts off in the best possible way: Thomas Tuchel, in German, has the task of bringing the Cup after sixty years and then who will care about his nationality and his choices; he can’t make mistakes right from the start so as not to be asked for excellent exclusions. England wear the 4-2-3-1 and even if they have to give up Saka at the start, still not at his best physically, his Arsenal teammate Madueke moves well on the outside right. The absent-present, in the sense of not being seen, is Gordon, fresh from moving to Barcelona, while Bellingham and Rice work as three. With Gordon out, the new arrivals then sealed the result. England in general are always dangerous from set pieces and have moments of play that are difficult to contain.
character is not enough
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With Modric, Perisic, 37, also acts as a bridge between generations; the Croatian national team is changing its skin and it might seem like a complicated operation for a nation of only 3.8 million inhabitants, but Zlatko Dalic, the coach since 2017, knows how to freshen up the group. To give an idea of the age gap, when Modric made his debut in a World Cup (18 June 2006), the central defender Luka Vuskovic was not yet born, since he was born in February 2007. His calling card is the tackle with which he won the ball in midfield before Baturina started and closed the scene of the 1-1, but then made a mistake at 3-2. The representation of Serie A can be seen in the Croatian 3-4-2-1 which becomes 5-4-1 in the defensive phase. Next to Modric there is the Atalanta player Mario Pasalic, who catches Perisic in the area for the goal-pass to make it 2-2, between the attacking midfield and midfield Sucic and Baturina who are precisely found in the celebration of the first draw. Then Vlasic also enters. Croatia doesn’t want to control the match, they strike suddenly. England thinks it’s easy but it’s an illusion: only for a time. Then he shows his strength and the result is right.
the situation
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Group L opens at the Dallas Stadium with the match between the two European national teams, which also includes Panama and Ghana, on the pitch at the Field Stadium in Toronto at one o’clock. England is participating in the final phase of the World Cup for the 17th time and won the title, the only one in their portfolio, in 1966, 50 years ago. Croatia, on the other hand, is at the 7th world championship in its history with the backdrop of 2nd place in 2018 after the final lost to France and third places achieved in 1998, semi-final lost again to France, hosts), and four years ago in Qatar (semi-final lost to Argentina, then winner of the Cup).
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