Kane nets twice and wins Man of the Match as England beat Croatia 4-2 in World Cup opener

Harry Kane scored twice and was named Man of the Match as England opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia at the Dallas stadium.

Kane admitted the squad had been given a sharp half-time team talk by manager Thomas Tuchel after Croatia cancelled out England’s two-goal lead with an equaliser just before the break. Jude Bellingham then restored England’s advantage early in the second half, scoring the third goal to make it 3-2 and effectively settle the contest.

Bellingham, 22, was greeted by his father Mark with a warm embrace at the final whistle. His partner Ashlyn Castro had watched from the stands alongside his mother Denise and father Mark.

Kane received a kiss from his wife Katie after the final whistle, while goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s wife Megan was also in attendance despite her luggage going missing en route to Dallas. Megan, who married Pickford in 2020, shared a post on social media acknowledging the travel setback: “No suitcase mishap was going to stop me supporting my husband. Featuring the top I travelled in and borrowed jeans.”

Ollie Watkins’ partner Lauren Fryer was also among the spectators, while Elliot Anderson reunited with family members after the game before the squad flew back to their Kansas base.

Players who featured in the match were given a rest day to recover, while those who did not play were scheduled for a warm-down training session in Kansas.