Harry Kane scored two goals to equal Gary Lineker’s record as England’s top scorer in World Cups, with 10 goals, and led his team to a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the Group L opener.
The English captain opened the scoring from a penalty in the 12th minute, after a foul by Luka Modric. His initial shot was saved by Dominik Livakovic, but the VAR detected that the Croatian goalkeeper had gone ahead. On the replay, Kane changed the shot and scored. Minutes later, a powerful header after a corner kick made it 2-0.
Croatia reacted. Martin Baturina scored with a right foot from outside the area, and Petar Musa equalized before the break. In the second half, Jude Bellingham took advantage of a counterattack to make it 3-2, and Marcus Rashford, from the bench, sealed the victory in the final minutes.
The duel was played at the Dallas Cowboys stadium. The arrival of coach Thomas Tuchel has given greater tactical rigor to the English team, although they still have to correct defensive errors. Despite the victory, the English defense showed cracks: they entered the World Cup undefeated with no goals conceded during qualifying, but this time they conceded two goals.
Kane left behind the missed penalty against France in Qatar 2022. His current form, with 61 goals in 51 games with Bayern Munich, backs him up. England’s next match will be against Ghana in Boston. Croatia will face Panama in Toronto.
