Successful World Cup debut for Tuchel
Six goals: England wins spectacularly against Croatia
Updated June 18, 2026 – 12:17 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
In their first appearance, England and Croatia delivered probably the most entertaining game of the tournament so far with a total of six goals.
Thanks to his superstars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, Thomas Tuchel has passed his first World Cup test as England coach. The offensive Three Lions celebrated a deserved 4:2 (2:2) against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday and took a big step towards the knockout phase with their success in what was nominally the most difficult game in Group L. The German coach, who was viewed critically on the island, gave himself some peace of mind for the time being with the victory.
England captain Kane (12th, 42nd) scored for the 1966 world champion first with a repeated penalty kick, and later he headed in from a corner. The 32-year-old from FC Bayern drew level with England’s World Cup record scorer Gary Lineker (both ten goals). Bellingham (47th) scored shortly after the break. Martin Baturina (36th) and Petar Musa (45th + 5), who plays for FC Dallas in the MLS, had equalized in the meantime. Marcus Rashford (85th) scored for the English in the final phase.
The discussions about Tuchel, who caused irritation by, among other things, not nominating young stars Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, and the difficult legacy had accompanied England to North America. The proud football nation has been waiting for its second World Cup title for 60 years – Tuchel should end the long wait.
That’s how the game went
The first step towards this was achieved in the new edition of the 2018 semi-final. Kane, who was ennobled by ex-teammate Thomas Müller on MagentaTV before kick-off as the “best finisher on this planet”, was spared an early mental setback. The penalty – caused by a foul by Croatia’s veteran star Luka Modrić – was retaken after Kane’s first miss. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic moved off his line too quickly. Kane easily converted the second attempt.
The first goal from their difference player only briefly gave England security after a nervous start. Tuchel’s team tried hard, but rarely caused any danger during the game. Defensively, the Three Lions remained vulnerable. England carelessly squandered the renewed advantage after Kane’s second goal.
After the break, England’s second top star Bellingham took responsibility. The Real Madrid offensive player successfully completed a strong solo – and opened England’s impressive pressure phase. Kane and Co. created chances every minute, Bellingham (48th), Nico O’Reilly (49th), Declan Rice (52nd), Anthony Gordon (56th) and Kane (57th) had the preliminary decision on their feet. Croatia increased the risk in the final phase to force an equalizer – and that paid off: Rashford scored the fourth goal for the English team.