England 4-2 Croatia: Five things we learned as Kane and Bellingham star in World Cup opener | OneFootball

England claimed a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their 2026 World Cup opener.

Read on as we look at five things we learned from the fixture.

Harry Kane on course for another Golden Boot

Kane scored a brace, putting himself in early contention for the tournament’s Golden Boot. He won the award in 2018.

He is the second England player to score at three separate editions of the tournament. He is also the joint-highest English World Cup goalscorer.

Kane made a crucial block late on, preventing Josko Gvardiol from scoring a third for Croatia.

Jude Bellingham silences critics

Bellingham got the nod over Morgan Rogers. The Real Madrid star was poor in the first half and lost possession in the build-up to Croatia’s second goal.

However, he stepped up in the second half, scoring the Three Lions’ third goal. He has taken his international tally to seven goals, four of which have been scored in major tournaments.

Shaky defence

England’s first-choice centre-backs Ezri Konsa and John Stones were partly at fault for Croatia’s goals.

Stones was easily turned, allowing Peter Sucic to set up Martin Baturina for Croatia’s first goal, while Konsa failed to track Petar Musa for the second.

Anthony Gordon ineffective

The new Barcelona star produced a brilliant display in the 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica, but was anonymous here. No player had fewer touches than Gordon in the first half.

He was replaced by Marcus Rashford, who completed the scoring for England. Tuchel could be forced to drop him against Ghana next Tuesday.

Midfield concerns

The midfield pair of Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson were exposed in the first half with their defensive positioning and failure to progress the ball from deep.

While that changed in the second period, with Anderson delivering a fantastic pass to Bellingham for the third goal, England will be punished against better opposition.