DON'T MISS A MOMENT OF THE WORLD CUP
Your all-access pass to scores, live updates, and insights
Explore Getty/GOAL
Tom Maston | Jun 18, 2026 04:01+06:00
England player ratings vs Croatia: Jude Bellingham's brilliance drives Three Lions to victory in World Cup opener while Harry Kane kickstarts Golden Boot bid with brace - but dodgy defence must concern Thomas Tuchel
Player ratings | England | J. Bellingham | H. Kane | World Cup | FEATURES
England vs Croatia
England made a winning start to the 2026 World Cup as they beat Croatia 4-2 in their Group L opener on Wednesday. Harry Kane scored twice in the first half, only for the Three Lions to be pegged back on both occasions, and it required a brilliant solo goal from Jude Bellingham early in the second period to put Thomas Tuchel's side back ahead before Marcus Rashford made the points safe late on.
England made the ideal start when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Luka Modric on Noni Madueke, and though Kane had his original spot-kick saved by Dominik Livakovic, a re-take was ordered, and the Bayern Munich striker made no mistake at the second time of asking.
The Three Lions largely controlled things from there without creating any clear chances, and they were made to pay for a lack of fluency when Martin Baturina powered a shot from 20 yards past Jordan Pickford and into the top corner.
Croatia were only level for six minutes, however, as Kane nodded home Declan Rice's corner to restore England's lead. Zlatko Dalic's side would not lie down, and Petar Musa equalised via a controlled volley with the final kick of the first half.
They were behind again just two minutes into the second half, however, when Bellingham ran onto Elliot Anderson's pass, drove into the box and poked the ball across Livakovic into the bottom corner.
Whatever Tuchel said at the break, it certainly worked, as both Bellingham and Rice stung Livakovic's palms while Nico O'Reilly headed wide after being picked out from a corner. The Manchester City left-back then had another header saved, with Livakovic able to recover and also keep out Anthony Gordon's rebound.
Kane was the next to be denied by Croatia's inspired goalkeeper, while at the other end, Pickford showed good reactions to push Mario Pasalic's shot away. In the end, it was left to Rashford to put the cherry on the cake, as he whipped a shot into the bottom corner after being fed by fellow substitute Bukayo Saka.
GOAL rates England's players from Dallas...
Getty Images Sport
Goalkeeper & Defence
Jordan Pickford (5/10): Will feel he could have done better with Baturina's goal after getting a decent piece of it, but made amends with a good stop from Pasalic. Distribution was mixed.
Reece James (5/10): Put in a couple of decent crosses, but wasn't much of a factor in the final third. Did OK defensively, though left chasing shadows for Croatia's second goal.
Ezri Konsa (5/10): Didn't look wholly comfortable, and was left stranded by Pasalic's pass in the build-up to Musa's goal. May face a fight to keep his place.
John Stones (5/10): Surprisingly on the left of the centre-back duo, the Manchester City man struggled in possession at times, while he sold himself far too easily ahead of Baturina's strike. Not what England needed from their veteran defender.
Nico O'Reilly (4/10): Looked a bit overawed by the occasion at times and lost possession in dangerous areas. Wasted two good chances with headers from corners, though second was a decent save from Livakovic.
Getty Images Sport
Midfield
Elliot Anderson (6/10): A little overrun at times, but was excellent in possession. Superb pass around the corner got Bellingham away to put England 3-2 up.
Declan Rice (7/10): Set-piece delivery led to Kane's second goal and could well have had a couple more assists for O'Reilly in the second half. Grew in influence as the game wore on, so slightly surprising that he was taken off following the second-half hydration break.
Jude Bellingham (8/10): Put himself about and won his fair share of tackles in midfield, though he will have been disappointed to have lost possession in the build-up to Baturina's goal. Went on a couple of mazy dribbles, and though he didn't always choose the best option, he produced the goods early in the second half.
Getty Images Sport
Attack
Noni Madueke (8/10): Did well to nip in and win the penalty, and was England's most potent attacking threat from open play, especially in the first half. Gave Gvardiol plenty to worry about with his direct dribbling, while his balls into the box were testing.
Harry Kane (8/10): Got away with his initial missed penalty, while his thumping header was unstoppable. Didn't always produce the goods when he dropped deep, but otherwise didn't do much wrong.
Anthony Gordon (5/10): Pressed relentlessly but didn't produce much of note when he did pick up possession. Replaced by Rashford in the second half.
ENJOYED THIS STORY? Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
Subs & Manager
Morgan Rogers (6/10): Had a couple of dangerous dribbles after replacing Rice.
Marcus Rashford (7/10): Unerring finish wrapped up victory for the Three Lions.
Bukayo Saka (7/10): Did brilliantly to start the move and then assist Rashford for the fourth.
Djed Spence (6/10): Almost scored immediately after replacing Bellingham.
Marc Guehi (N/A): Replaced Stones for the final few minutes.
Thomas Tuchel (7/10): May need to go back to the drawing board when selecting his defence, but his half-time instructions proved crucial to the direction of the match, while his substitutions mostly worked once they all settled in.
How far will England go at the World Cup?
Group stages | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final
2912 Votes