Tuchel encouraged England to take a bold approach to their difficulties.

Thanks to a brace from Kane, along with goals from Bellingham and Rashford, England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their opening Group L match of the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel stated that even when facing difficulties or losing rhythm during a match, the team must bravely give it their all.

Modric fouled Maduk while clearing the ball in the 9th minute, giving England a penalty. Kane's initial penalty was saved by Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic, but after VAR intervention, it was determined that Livakovic had moved prematurely, so the penalty had to be retaken. Kane then converted the second penalty, giving England a 1-0 lead.

In the 36th minute, Susic passed the ball back from the penalty area, and Martin Battulina scored with a long-range shot, helping Croatia equalize 1-1. In the 42nd minute, Rice took a corner kick, and Kane headed the ball into the net, helping England regain the lead 2-1.

In the first half stoppage time, Perisic headed the ball across the goal, and Petar Musa volleyed it into the net, helping Croatia equalize again at 2-2.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Elliott Anderson played a through ball to Bellingham, who slotted home from inside the box to give England a 3-2 lead. In the 85th minute, Rashford received a diagonal pass from Saka and curled a shot into the net, making it 4-2.

Ultimately, England defeated Croatia 4-2 in this crucial match.

England manager Thomas Tuchel said, "The second half was very good, the team reacted very positively. The first half was a bit complicated for us, the players were a bit nervous. I felt that everyone's decision-making on the field was too conservative, passing back too much, making it difficult to find the rhythm of the game, and lacking the confidence to use space to attack forward. I looked at a statistic, and our ground duel success rate in the first half was only 33%, while it reached 77% in the second half. So even off the ball, I felt that the team was not brave enough, and the overall commitment and coordination were not enough."

“I really liked the players’ response in the second half; they were outstanding. We deserved the victory, and it was a very exciting game. Although it took us a while to really get into the game, we ultimately succeeded, and that’s the most positive thing.”

Tuchel pointed out, "We were too focused on the results and too concerned about protecting things we didn't really have control over. If something unexpected happens and the result doesn't go the way we hoped, we should still stick to the way we want to play, and I'm just encouraging the players to go all out and attack bravely."

"This match was physically demanding because we weren't decisive enough in our handling of the ball after regaining possession. We didn't do a good job with either our first touch or our second touch after regaining possession. We wasted a lot of these opportunities, and in football, losing possession immediately after winning the ball is one of the most physically demanding things."

Tuchel also stated, "Everyone is very tired, but I like to see players playing until they're almost exhausted in the locker room because I think we need to go through games like this. There's only the positive side to this game; as for the other issues that need improvement, we'll address them step by step."

Image source: Internet