Harry Kane struck twice to tie England’s World Cup scoring record as England beat Croatia 4-2 in Arlington. Jude Bellingham’s early second-half goal put the hosts ahead for good, with Rashford adding a late fourth and Croatia getting two first-half replies thr
ARLINGTON, Texas — The scene looked set for another tight England-Croatia grind: Croatia struck twice back-to-back, the halftime break brought a jolt, and then the second half arrived with a different edge.
Harry Kane answered it with the kind of precision that turns reminders into milestones. He scored twice to equal the English record for World Cup goals, and Jude Bellingham put England in front for good two minutes into the second half as England secured a 4-2 victory over Croatia on Wednesday.
Kane’s first goal came in the 16th minute, and Martin Baturina and Petar Musa replied to level the match. Musa’s goal, timed to the final play before the whistle, ended the first half with the score even — a rematch of Croatia’s 2018 semifinal run.
But the balance didn’t last long once play resumed.
Bellingham took a long pass from Elliot Anderson. stayed clear of the defender for the rest of the way. and finished past Dominik Livakovic. the shot bending in off the far post. Marcus Rashford then stretched the lead in the 85th minute. cushioning England’s momentum after Croatia had already shown they could fight back.
For Kane, the night carried extra weight. The 32-year-old is up to 10 World Cup goals, tying Gary Lineker’s mark from the 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Kane had won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia with six goals.
His first strike included a drama at the spot. Kane won a second chance on a penalty kick after Livakovic saved the first effort. only for video review to overturn it when it showed both Kane’s feet were off the goal line as he struck. Kane converted the second attempt the same way toward the right post as Livakovic lunged in the other direction.
The penalty was awarded after Luka Modric — the 40-year-old midfielder — kicked Noni Madueke in the thigh.
Kane matched Lineker’s World Cup record moments later when he powered home a header off a corner kick from Declan Rice, easily beating Livakovic. Kane has 81 international goals.
Croatia coach Zlatco Dalic accepted the damage but didn’t hide the picture that remained in his mind: his team’s response and its defensive work.
“We scored two goals that were good actions and good situations, but they were too little,” Dalic said through an interpreter. “England was very difficult, (we) also have to be strong on the defensive side.”
Kane’s night didn’t end with his goals either. He said England could have had more after the break, pointing to a frenetic spell where opportunities kept coming. After Bellingham’s breakthrough. Livakovic produced a save on Bellingham’s almost-immediate follow-up chance. and then made about a half-dozen more stops during a sustained English attack.
“We could have scored probably three goals in that 20-minute spell coming out (after halftime),” Kane said. “In the end, we just had too much for a great team that will probably go far in the tournament themselves.”
Even with the momentum swinging back and forth. Musa’s equalizer before halftime had already given Croatia a reminder of what they can do when the game opens up. Musa’s goal was Croatia’s first World Cup strike by an active player from Dallas of Major League Soccer. with the club playing home games about 40 miles from AT&T Stadium.
In a match staged under the retractable roof at AT&T Stadium — home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys — the setting offered an air-conditioned reprieve from the muggy Texas heat. White-clad England fans and Croatian supporters filled the stadium. with Croatia mostly wearing their familiar red-and-white checkered uniforms rather than blue kits.
Baturina put Croatia level in the 36th minute, finishing a shot that ticked off Jordan Pickford’s hand into the left corner. Musa’s goal then followed on the final play of the first half after he tracked a header from Ivan Perisic and drove a one-timer past Pickford.
Rashford’s fourth goal capped an England surge that started before halftime. Bukayo Saka’s pass left room for Rashford as he entered the penalty area, faked a shot with his left foot, and scored with his right — his 19th international goal.
Tuchel’s halftime message, Kane said, was designed to free the players rather than weigh them down. “He just told us to let the shackles off. ” Kane said of coach Thomas Tuchel’s message after Croatia pulled even so late before the break. “The way we conceded that second goal is not the team we want to be. He finally just said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?. We lose the match, first group game, we get on with it.’ We move on. Just go and kind of show the world who we can be.”.
Tuchel described what he wanted to see from England after the break as well.
“I loved the second half, all of it,” Tuchel said. “I encouraged them to go for it. To play with more courage, to be brave, to be ourselves. And like I said, I loved their reaction.”
England now turn their attention to their next Group L game against Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Tuesday. Croatia play Panama in Toronto the same day.
In Arlington, though, it was Kane’s record-tying double and Bellingham’s decisive burst that ultimately settled the evening — long enough for England to breathe again, and for the crowd to believe they could pull away from the fight Croatia kept bringing.
Harry Kane Jude Bellingham England vs Croatia 2022 World Cup World Cup goals record Martin Baturina Petar Musa Marcus Rashford Dominik Livakovic Luka Modric Noni Madueke Declan Rice Elliot Anderson Golden Boot Group L Ghana Panama