Kane double sees England survive Croatia scare to open World Cup with 4-2 win
What happened
England began their World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia in their Group L opener in Dallas on June 17, recovering from a scrappy first half to pull clear after the break. Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham struck early in the second half and substitute Marcus Rashford added the fourth.
Kane opened from the penalty spot after a twice-taken kick — his first effort was saved before a retake was ordered, according to the match reports — and headed England in front before half-time. Croatia twice levelled through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, the second arriving deep in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2 at the interval, before England took control after the restart.
Why it matters
The result hands England the early advantage in Group L after matchday one and steadies a campaign that briefly threatened to unravel when Croatia clawed back two deficits. Bellingham's goal within two minutes of the second half changed the game's momentum, and Rashford's late finish, set up by fellow substitute Bukayo Saka, settled it.
Kane's second goal carried personal significance: it took him level with Gary Lineker on 10 England goals at World Cups, the national team's record, per the match coverage. One more would make him England's outright leading scorer at the finals.
Context
The opening goal came from a penalty after Noni Madueke was fouled in the box, with the spot-kick retaken before Kane converted. Croatia, who reached the latter stages of recent tournaments, showed their resilience in twice equalising but were undone by England's sharper second-half play.
The win was sealed at a chaotic, high-tempo contest that produced six goals, a marked contrast to several of the tournament's tighter group openers.
What to watch next
England move on to their second Group L fixture against one of Ghana or Panama, the other two sides in the group, with top spot in their sights. Kane will look to overtake Lineker's record, while Croatia must regroup quickly to keep their qualification hopes alive after an opening defeat.
Across the tournament, Groups A and B returned to action on June 18 with their second round of matches, including co-hosts Mexico, though those results fell outside England's headline night.