England were involved in a thriller to open their World Cup account on Wednesday afternoon here in sweltering Arlington, Texas, even if they need to tighten up at the back
England 4-2 Croatia: Rice, Madueke and Saka feature for Three Lions thrilling victory in Texas
England were involved in a thriller to open their World Cup account on Wednesday afternoon here in sweltering Arlington, Texas, even if they need to tighten up at the back
Layth’s Take is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
The view from the Dallas Cowboys press box before England beat Croatia 4-2 at the cavernous stadium here in Texas. CREDIT:Layth (@laythy29)
England provided fun in Texas when beating Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon to launch their World Cup campaign in exhilarating fashion,
Captain Harry Kane struck twice, with Jude Bellingham scoring moments after the interval.In an entertaining match to kick off Group L, there was still time for substitute Marcus Rashford to make it 4-2 with a clinical finish with five minutes remaining.
Sandwiched in between an action-packed first half, Martin Baturina, then Dallas FC striker Peta Musa scored to make the scoreline 2-2 in a breathless opening 45 minutes under the roof in front of a full house of 70,389, in sweltering Arlington, Texas,
There was early drama here as England captain Kane - who equalled Gary Lineker’s record haul of 10 tournament goals had his initial penalty saved by Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic, before VAR ordered the spot kick to be retaken.
On a day when temperatures topped 31C, and felt much hotter, the nerveless England captain was the coolest man in this cavernous stadium locals call the Death Star, as Kane stepped to take his second spot kick, following encroachment. Clinical Kane made no mistake to send Livakovic the wrong way to put Tuchel’s side 1-0 ahead in the 12th minute, as Three Lions fans celebrated here in the cavernous Dallas Stadium.
In a thrilling match, Croatia’s Baturina fired the ball past Jordan Pickford to level. Pickford got his hand to the ball but was unable to keep out the 23-year-old Como attacker’s excellent strike to make it 1-1 on 36 minutes.
Stung, England went 2-1 ahead when the predatory Kane headed into the net from Declan Rice’s three minutes before the interval. Nico O’Reilly, and John Stones presence helping to allow the Bayern Munich captain space to time his run to perfection to nod the ball past the despairing Livakovic. Prompting the thought that if scoring a set piece from a corner is good for England, why isn’t it good enough for Arsenal.
Unbowed Croatia equalised through Dallas FC striker Musa moments before the interval, as the teams headed into the break level after French referee Clément Turpin blew the whistle on a compelling first half, albeit one in which Croatia created far too many chances, against an England side that opened-up far too easily.
The second half started in the same vein when Bellingham powered into the box before firing past Livakovic to put Tuchel’s lively Three Lions ahead once again 120 seconds after the restart, to put the seal on a goal that came after 23 passes.
In an action-packed clash, England had a total of eight shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the second period.
Boss Tuchel made three substitutions after the hydration break, with Arsenal’s Madueke replaced by teammate Bukayo Saka, with Anthony Gordon subbed for Rashford, and the redoubtable Rice taken off for Gunners target Morgan Rogers.
As the clock ticked down, there was still time for Rashford to make it 4-2 with a cool finish past the beleaguered Livakovic, with all four subs dovetailing together to build the goals, as England made it one defeat in their opening nine World Cup matches.
However, if we could add a note of caution here in Texas, the England defence was carved open far too many times for this correspondent’s liking by Croatia this afternoon.
Tuchel will know that and will have to ensure his backline tightens up as the tournament progresses.
Nevertheless, a win to start England’s World Cup is always welcome.
Layth’s Take is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.