England beat Croatia 4-2 in World Cup opener as Tuchel's side shows attacking promise

England's fans left Dallas Stadium on a wave of excitement after Thomas Tuchel's side beat Croatia 4-2 in their World Cup opener.

Harry Kane told his teammates to stay free in the mind and handle the pressure of the tournament. They followed that advice in a match that mixed strong attacking play with clear defensive problems.

England led twice through Kane, who reached 10 World Cup goals for his country and matched Gary Lineker's record. Croatia equalized both times after poor defending. Jude Bellingham restored the lead just after halftime, and Marcus Rashford sealed the win late in the second half.

Tuchel showed clear frustration during the first half. After the break, England pressed forward and created repeated chances. Croatia held out for a spell before Rashford finished the scoring.

The choice of Ezri Konsa over Marc Guehi drew questions after the Aston Villa defender struggled to make a strong case. Tuchel also picked Jude Bellingham ahead of Morgan Rogers and started Noni Madueke in place of Bukayo Saka to manage fitness.

Bellingham stood out with strong runs from midfield. His goal came after he beat Mario Pasalic and scored past Dominik Livakovic.

England made several attacking changes in the second half. Wayne Rooney, working as a BBC pundit, praised the decision to bring on Rashford, Saka and Rogers. He said the moves showed Tuchel wanted to win rather than sit back.

Former goalkeeper Paul Robinson said the substitutes gave Tuchel a selection problem for the next match. Joe Hart noted that the bench players had an immediate impact.

Tuchel knows the win gives England a platform in Group L. They play Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.