Tuchel hails Kane as 'absolute leader' after England open World Cup with 4-2 win over Croatia

Thomas Tuchel called Harry Kane an “absolute leader” after England opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas, with the captain’s first-half brace equalling Gary Lineker’s record of 10 goals for England at a World Cup.

Kane’s two goals were each quickly cancelled out as the first half ended 2-2, but Jude Bellingham put England back in front early in the second half before substitute Marcus Rashford added a late finish to seal the Group L victory. Kane was named player of the match.

“If you see the commitment of our captain, of our number nine, in the extra time to block a crucial shot after a set piece with all his body and his commitment to buy into a defensive action like this, then you know everything about his performance today,” Tuchel said. “Complete performance, absolute leader and he is all in — he’s all in physically, he’s all in mentally, and he’s all in.”

Bellingham’s goal proved the turning point after a nervy opening 45 minutes, and Tuchel was equally effusive about the Real Madrid midfielder, who was preferred to Morgan Rogers in the starting line-up. “You can rely on Jude in these moments. He loves these pressure games. That brings out the best in him,” the England head coach said, adding that the “tough, tough decision” had been telling Rogers he would not start, given how well the player had performed in the lead-up to the tournament.

Rashford, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, came off the bench to score the fourth goal with a composed finish. Tuchel revealed a private conversation earlier in the week had helped unlock the forward. “He struggled for us to be decisive when he started, but he was always trying and got a bit unlucky for a long time,” Tuchel said. “We just had a talk where I told him that I’m very, very impressed with his last 16 days — how he was in camp.”

England’s attention now turns to Tuesday’s Group L fixture against Ghana.