Tuchel hails Bellingham and second-half revival as England edge Croatia 4-2 in World Cup opener

England opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas, recovering from a shaky first half that saw a Harry Kane brace wiped out before the interval to run out convincing winners through Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

Kane put England in front twice in the opening period, but a brilliant long-range strike from Martin Baturina and a clever finish from Petar Musa levelled the contest heading into half-time. Thomas Tuchel’s side had won just 33 per cent of their ground duels in the first half and struggled badly to find rhythm in possession, playing too conservatively and ceding momentum to Croatia.

The half-time team talk proved decisive. Bellingham restored England’s lead shortly after the restart, and Rashford, introduced from the bench, added a fourth late on to put the result beyond doubt. England’s ground duel success rate jumped to 73 per cent in the second period — a statistic Tuchel highlighted as evidence of the transformation in his side’s mentality.

“Good reaction — the first half was a bit complicated for us,” Tuchel said after the match. “It was a bit nervy. We chose to go safe and played too many balls backwards. We struggled to find any rhythm. I loved the reaction of the players in the second half. It was excellent, we deserved to win.”

On his half-time message, Tuchel was candid: “I tried to reinforce that even if we lose, it will not change my perception of the last 17 days. We were too focused on the result, on protecting what we don’t have at the moment. I tried to encourage them to go for it.”

The Germany-born head coach was measured in his praise of Bellingham, framing the goal as an expectation rather than a surprise. “A very good player — he deserved to start and that’s what he needs to do to fight for his place and keep his place. That’s what he did and it was good.”

Tuchel also addressed the withdrawal of Declan Rice, suggesting it was precautionary. “Normally I would never take Declan out but I didn’t want to take any risks,” he said, adding that England had been “not very clean” with their first and second touches after winning possession — an area he identified for improvement.

England could have added further goals in the second half and will feel the margin of victory might have been greater on another day. The win, however, provides a solid platform as the Three Lions look to build momentum in the tournament.