Harry Kane powers England to thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in World Cup opener

England make a strong start

The England National Team opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over the Croatia National Team.

Led by stars such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford, England showed both quality and resilience in a match filled with drama.

Kane breaks the deadlock

The action started early when Luka Modrić conceded a penalty in the eighth minute. Harry Kane initially missed the spot kick, but the penalty was ordered to be retaken due to goalkeeper positioning.

The England captain made no mistake on the second attempt, giving his side a 1-0 lead.

Croatia fights back

Croatia responded impressively. In the 35th minute, Martin Baturina scored a stunning long-range effort to level the match at 1-1.

The goal rewarded Croatia's strong play and kept the contest balanced.

Kane delivers again

England regained the lead before halftime. From a corner kick in the 41st minute, Kane found space in the penalty area and scored his second goal of the evening to make it 2-1.

Musa equalizes before the break

Just moments before halftime, Croatia struck again.

At 45+5, Petar Musa scored the equalizer, sending the teams into the locker room tied 2-2.

Bellingham and Rashford finish the job

England wasted no time after the restart. Only two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham restored England's lead with a goal that made it 3-2.

Croatia remained competitive thanks to several important saves from Dominik Livaković, but England eventually sealed the result. In the 85th minute, Marcus Rashford scored the fourth goal and secured a memorable victory.

A World Cup classic in the making

With six goals, multiple lead changes and standout performances from several stars, the match instantly became one of the highlights of the tournament.

England leaves the opener full of confidence, while Croatia showed enough quality to remain a dangerous opponent as the competition continues.