FIFA World Cup

ENG England England - CRO Croatia Croatia

England England

Croatia Croatia

M. Rashford
85'
J. Bellingham
47'

Dallas Stadium(70,389 Spectators)

Clément Louis Jean Turpin

Full-time: England 4-2 Croatia

A superb second half sees England pull away from Croatia to win 4-2. As long as there was only one goal in it, you thought Croatia had a chance, but Rashford's late goal sealed the win. That has to have been one of the best games of the tournament so far.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 6

Kane fires over

The Bayern marksman dips inside and shoots, but his shot is a wayward one.

90'

+ 5

Heroic defending

The ball drops to Gvardiol in the box after a corner, and just as he looks likely to sweep home, Kane throws himself in front of the shot. England then nearly break through Saka and Rashford, but they are eventually crowded out.

90'

+ 1

Added time

The referee has indicated six extra minutes at the end of this game.

87'

A defensive switch

Guéhi is on for Stones at centre-back.

87'

Substitution

Marc Guéhi

John Stones

Rashford surely seals the win

Saka does superbly initially to work space down the right, and when the ball breaks for him once more, he switches the play out to Rashford. He fakes onto his right foot and bends a sumptuous finish into the far corner.

85'

Marcus Rashford

GOAL!

4:2

Assist:B. Saka

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

17 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

12.77 m

84'

Kovacic drives towards goal

The Manchester City midfielder skips through the middle and fires a shot towards goal that Pickford gathers with relative ease.

82'

Spence can't poke home

A lovely pass from Rogers feeds through Spence, but yet again, it is Livaković who is there to make the save. He's put in some performance.

81'

Well over

Pickford punches the ball clear, and Sučić has a go, but his effort has far too much on it.

80'

Another tactical shift

Spence is on for the outstanding Bellingham, meaning that James will move into midfield.

80'

Substitution

Djed Spence

Jude Bellingham

79'

Two more changes

Hoffenheim's Kramarić is on for Baturina, and Vlašić replaces Mario Pašalić.

78'

Substitution

Andrej Kramarić

Mario Pašalić

78'

Substitution

Nikola Vlašić

Martin Baturina

77'

Matanović has a go

The Freiburg striker tries his luck, but his shot bobbles through to Pickford.

76'

Marco Pašalić's shot saved

The substitute nips inside onto his left in the box and drives a shot towards Pickford that he has to be alert to save.

75'

Well dealt with

Stanišić heads a loose pass towards Livaković that Rashford almost intercepts, but Livaković is out quickly to sweep up.

73'

Triple change

England and Tuchel take the chance to make a triple change during the hydration break. Rashford, Saka and Rogers are on for Gordon, Madueke and Rice.

72'

Substitution

Marcus Rashford

Anthony Gordon

72'

Substitution

Bukayo Saka

Noni Madueke

72'

Substitution

Morgan Rogers

Declan Rice

69'

Blocked

Kane flicks a delivery into the path of Gordon, but his shot is charged down.

66'

More Croatian changes

Freiburg striker Matanović is on for Musa, while Marco Pašalić replaces Hamburg's Vušković.

66'

Substitution

Marco Pašalić

Luka Vušković

66'

Substitution

Igor Matanović

Petar Musa

62'

England well on top

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

There might only be one goal in it, but England have certainly been the better side. They just need to take more of their chances.

xGoals

2.61

0.39

Goals

58'

First change of the night

Kovacic is on for Modrić.

58'

Substitution

Mateo Kovacic

Luka Modrić

57'

Kane and England denied again

The Bayern striker dips onto his left and shoots, only for Livaković to make another great stop. England are rampant.

56'

How did that stay out?!

O'Reilly meets Rice's corner, and Livaković is forced into another big save. Gordon then has a big chance, but he can only head straight at the goalkeeper. A scramble then ensues, but Croatia somehow survive.

52'

Rice denied

Rice suddenly has space to shoot on the edge of the box. He looks to bend one into the far corner, although Livaković is there once again to make the save.

49'

O'Reilly heads wide

Rice's corner loops all the way through to the back post where O'Reilly is completely free, but he can only head wide with plenty of goal to aim at.

48'

Bellingham can't add another

England are fired up now. Bellingham has space on the edge of the box, but he can only fire at Livaković.

Bellingham fires England back ahead

Anderson whips a ball round the corner to find Bellingham out wide. He charges into the box and bounces a neat finish into the far corner.

47'

Jude Bellingham

GOAL!

3:2

Assist:E. Anderson

Goal probability

7 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

15.06 m

46'

Back underway

The ball is moving once again in Dallas.

Kick-off!

Half-time: England 2-2 Croatia

A great half of football comes to an end as Croatia equalise just seconds before the break. England have perhaps been the better side, but two defensive lapses and some good finishing have allowed Croatia to fight back. Everything to play for in the second half.

Half-time

Musa fires Croatia level once more

Perišić is found by a lovely chipped pass over the top, and he does brilliantly to head the ball over to Musa, who fires home. Lovely move.

45'

+ 5

Petar Musa

GOAL!

2:2

Assist:I. Perišić

Goal probability

25 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

9.79 m

45'

+ 4

Mario Pašalić fires wide

The Croatian midfielder has a punt from range, but his effort is wayward.

45'

+ 2

Wasted opportunity

Bellingham wins a free-kick in a good position, but James can only fire his shot into a Croatian defender.

45'

+ 1

Added time

There will be five additional minutes.

Brilliant header!

Rice whips in the England corner, and Kane arrives late to power home a superb header. England have the lead once more.

42'

Harry Kane

GOAL!

2:1

Assist:D. Rice

Goal probability

10 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

10.42 m

A stunner from Baturina

Croatia have too much space on the right, and Sučić does brilliantly to skip inside and set up Baturina. He strikes the ball superbly, whipping it towards the far corner, and the shot has too much power for Pickford. We're level once more.

36'

Martin Baturina

GOAL!

1:1

Assist:P. Sučić

Goal probability

5 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

20.26 m

35'

Kane gets up well

James whips in a cross that Kane almost meets, but he's under too much pressure to make something of the half-chance.

32'

England looking the more likely

But Croatia have had their moments too.

Goal attempts

4off target

1on target

1off target

0on target

31'

Bellingham almost gets on the end of it

Kane feeds Madueke on the right, and he whips in a low cross that just misses the outstretched boot of Bellingham.

27'

Back underway

The ball is moving again after that break.

23'

Drinks break

There's a stoppage in play as the teams take on fluids.

21'

Unlucky

Bellingham does brilliantly to beat his man on halfway and runs all the way to the box, where he is eventually crowded out.

16'

Madueke denied

Kane finds Madueke with a wonderful pass, and the Arsenal winger gets the better of Gvardiol, but his effort from the angle is blocked behind for a corner. From the corner, Anderson has a shot, but again, the effort is blocked.

15'

Almost a chance

Musa almost gets free in the box, but Bellingham recovers just in time to clear.

Kane scores at the second attempt

This time, the Bayern man steps up and hammers home from the spot. England have the lead!

12'

Harry Kane

GOAL!

1:0

Penalty

Goal probability

77 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

10'

Retake

Kane's penalty is saved, but Gvardiol has encroached into the box. He'll get another chance.

Penalty for England

Madeuke gets to a loose ball before Modrić, and the Croatian captain catches the Arsenal winger. The referee points to the spot.

Kane shoots on the spin

James's deflected cross is hit on the volley by Kane, but the effort hits a Croatian player and goes wide.

Wayward passes

Neither side have been able to move the ball around well in the opening five minutes. There have been a lot of passes that have gone straight to opposition players.

Sutalo fires over

Perišić's corner is met on the volley by Sutalo, but his effort goes comfortably over the bar.

Loose start

England try to play out from the back and make a mess of things, giving away an early corner.

We're underway

The ball is moving in Dallas.

Kick-off!

Players on the pitch

The players are on the pitch, and the national anthems are playing.

15 minutes until kick-off

The players are finishing up their warm-ups before heading inside for a final team talk before we get underway.

Players out to warm-up

Both sets of players are now on the pitch and preparing. We're just 35 minutes from kick-off.

The England survivors from 2018

Five of tonight's England squad were part of the squad that lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final. Rashford, Stones, J. Henderson, Pickford and Kane were all part of that team.

England team news

As expected, Kane is set to lead the line for England with Bellingham playing behind him as the number 10. Bayer Leverkusen's Quansah is on the bench.

Croatia team news

There are a couple of Bundesliga stars in Croatia's team, with Vušković and Stanišić both starting. On the bench, Jakić, Kramarić and Matanović await their opportunities to make their mark. Ex-RB Leipzig star Gvardiol is also starting.

Starting line-up: England

Formation:4-2-3-1

England subs

D. Henderson, Trafford, Burn, Guehi, Quansah, Spence, J. Henderson, Mainoo, Rogers, Eze, Rashford, Saka, Toney, Watkins

Starting line-up: Croatia

Formation:3-4-3

Croatia subs

Kotarski, Pandur, Ćaleta-Car, Erlić, Pongračić, Fruk, Jakić, Kovacic, Kramarić, Moro, Marco Pašalić, Sucic, Vlašić, Budimir, Matanović

How they warmed up: England

England, meanwhile, won both of their warm-up matches, although against arguably weaker opposition. They beat New Zealand 1-0 thanks to a Kane header and Costa Rica 3-0.

How they warmed up: Croatia

Croatia's World Cup preparation has been somewhat mixed. In the first of their two pre-tournament friendlies, they were beaten 2-0 by Belgium. However, they did beat Slovenia 2-1 just 10 days ago thanks to a 90th-minute winner from Mario Pašalić.

History beckons for Kane

If Kane features against Croatia, it will be his 30th match at a major international tournament, more than any other England player.

Contrasting opening game fortunes

England have lost just one of their last eight World Cup openers (four wins, three draws) – a 2-1 defeat to Italy in 2014. Conversely, Croatia have won only one of their last five opening matches (One draw, three losses) – 2-0 v Nigeria in 2018.

Out for revenge

England are unbeaten in their last three games against Croatia (two wins, one draw), and will be eager to extend that run tonight. The last time that these two sides met at a World Cup in 2018, Croatia beat them in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Thomas Tuchel on facing Croatia

“It is a very difficult start. It is an experienced team, an experienced coach, in tournament knockout football. It’s a top football nation and a very strong opponent."

Dalic on facing England

“England is an important match, but not a decisive one. We know their quality — they are dangerous, especially down the wings, and they have one of the best strikers in the world. We will give our best, we won’t just defend, we want more. That’s how we prepared.”

Zlatko Dalic on Vušković's bright future

"Luka performed excellently at Hamburg and all of Europe is impressed. He could be a mainstay at the heart of our defence for the next ten to 15 years.”

Luka Vušković set for the world stage

Following an outstanding loan campaign with Hamburg in the Bundesliga, the young defender's next challenge will see him try to help guide Croatia to World Cup glory. He faces a tough start against England and Kane, who scored three goals in two games against Vušković's Hamburg for Bayern in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season.

Kane's bogey team?

The England captain has faced Croatia four times, netting just once in that time. His only goal against them came in the UEFA Nations League group stage in 2018.

Kane on how England will approach their opener

"I think we have an extremely strong team, we have a physical team. I think that’s going to be a big aspect of our game, so: ‘Go out there to use that’. The message is just to be free and don’t be afraid of any outcome, and we’ll have a great chance.”

Kane to catch Lineker?

Harry Kane comes into this tournament on eight World Cup goals, just two behind Gary Lineker's record of 10. Will the Bayern Munich striker manage to catch him and make yet more goalscoring history this tournament?

9:30

Luka Vušković: The next big thing?

After a stellar season for Hamburg, 19-year-old Vušković will now be fully focused on keeping Kane and England at bay.

5:57

All Kane's goals in 2025/26

After yet another jaw-dropping campaign at club level, Harry Kane will look to fire England to World Cup glory.

How they got here: England

Thomas Tuchel's England won their eight qualifying games, scoring 22 goals. They were also the only UEFA nation to not concede a single goal throughout the qualifiers.

How they got here: Croatia

Croatia progressed through their qualifying unscathed, securing seven wins and a draw to finish six points clear of Czechia. They'll be looking to go one better than they did in 2018 when they finished runners-up to France prior to finishing third in 2022.

Going for glory

Few superstars are performing at the same consistent level as Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, who will captain England. Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah and former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham were also selected. As for Croatia, there's no fewer than five Bundesliga representatives with Kristijan Jakić (Augsburg), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Igor Matanović (Freiburg), Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich) and Luka Vušković (Hamburg, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) making Zlatko Dalić's 26-man squad.

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Group L encounter between England and Croatia at the Dallas Stadium, USA, on Wednesday 17 June (kick-off 10pm CEST).