Croatia opened the World Cup with a defeat: England celebrated 4:2 in a Group L goal fest
The Croatia national football team opened its appearance at the 2026 World Cup with a 4:2 defeat to England in a Group L match played on June 17, 2026, at Dallas Stadium. The duel already in the first round brought a high tempo, six goals and a large number of situations that will be analyzed as the tournament continues. According to match reports, England led twice in the first half, Croatia came back both times, but after the break it had no answer to England’s speed, pressure and efficiency in the final third. Harry Kane scored two goals for England, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford confirmed the victory for Thomas Tuchel’s team in the second half. For Croatia, the scorers were Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, who kept Zlatko Dalić’s team level on the scoreboard in the first half.
The Vatreni came back twice, but did not withstand the second half
England took the lead in the 12th minute from a penalty taken by Kane. According to the Sporting News report, the first attempt by the English captain was saved by Dominik Livaković, but the kick was retaken after the Croatian goalkeeper left the goal line too early and Joško Gvardiol entered the penalty area before the shot was taken. Kane was precise with his second attempt and thus opened the match in a direction that suited England more: with an early lead, greater freedom in transition and pressure on Croatia’s back line. In that phase, Croatia had to look for a way to get out of the English press, and the biggest problem was the space the English were getting after lost balls in the middle of the pitch. Despite that, the Croatian reaction did not fail to come.
In the 36th minute, Martin Baturina scored to make it 1:1 and brought Croatia back into the match at a moment when England was threatening with a second goal. The Guardian, in its live coverage, described that goal as a powerful shot that ended up in the upper part of the net, after which the match opened up further. Baturina’s goal was important not only in terms of the score but also psychologically, because after it Croatia played with more confidence and more often reached zones from which it could attack the English defense. Still, that stability did not last long. England took the lead again in the 42nd minute when Kane, after a corner kick, was left too alone in the penalty area and headed in for 2:1.
Croatia once again found an answer in first-half stoppage time. According to The Guardian’s description of the move, Mario Pašalić lifted the ball toward Ivan Perišić, Perišić headed it down into space, and Petar Musa calmly finished the move for 2:2. That goal, scored in the fifth minute of added time in the first half, was one of the key moments of Croatia’s evening because the team went into the break with a result that gave it a new chance for a turnaround. Musa thus punished English carelessness at the end of the half, but in the continuation it became clear that Croatia had not managed to maintain the same level of organization and concentration. England sped up the game after the break and very quickly took control again.
Bellingham changed the balance of power early in the second half
The decisive blow to Croatian hopes came already in the 47th minute, when Jude Bellingham scored for 3:2. According to match reports, the English midfielder made use of space and indecision in the Croatian defense and scored during a period in which Croatia was only trying to reorganize after the break. Such a moment was especially difficult for the Vatreni because it canceled out the effect of the late first-half goal and returned England to a position in which it could play more patiently, wait for a mistake and attack open spaces. With his movement between the lines, Bellingham created constant uncertainty in the Croatian midfield, and his physical power and ability to arrive in the final third gave England an additional dimension. After conceding the third goal, Croatia had to take more risks than it wanted.
In that period, it was especially clear how dangerous England is when it can accelerate down the flanks and attack the back line at the moment when the Croatian midfield is retreating toward its own goal. The Guardian highlighted a series of English chances and Livaković saves in the second half, including situations after set pieces and attempts from close range. The Croatian goalkeeper prevented a larger deficit and kept Croatia in the match, but the pressure gradually wore down Dalić’s team. Croatia tried to respond through Perišić, Pašalić, Kovačić and later substitutions from the bench, but it was unable to connect a sufficiently long spell of possession in dangerous zones. England, on the other hand, had a clearer plan for how to attack every untimely reaction from the Croatian defense.
Marcus Rashford set the final score at 4:2 in the 85th minute. According to The Guardian’s report, the move came after Bukayo Saka’s run and persistence on the right side, and Rashford, from the finishing position, sealed the match with a low shot. That goal confirmed what had been visible through most of the second half: England had more freshness, more verticality and more players capable of changing the rhythm of an attack with one move. Croatia still tried to reduce the deficit in the closing stages, and Gvardiol had a big chance in stoppage time, but the English defense held firm. Kane, in addition to his two goals, blocked one Croatian attempt near the end and rounded off a match in which he was one of the key actors.
Defensive mistakes left Croatia without points
Croatia can draw several positive elements from this match, above all the fact that it came back twice against one of the strongest European national teams. Baturina, with his goal and braver play, showed that he can take responsibility in a big match, while Musa took his chance at the end of the first half and confirmed his attacking instinct in the penalty area. Still, the overall picture remains marked by defensive lapses. England too often got shots after set pieces, had too much space between the lines, and Croatia’s back line was late in taking over on several occasions. At this level, such details most often decide matches.
The way Croatia conceded the second and third goals will be analyzed in particular. With Kane’s goal for 2:1, the problem was the positioning after the corner, because the English captain was given space that a striker of such class rarely misses. With Bellingham’s goal for 3:2, Croatia struggled to close the space in front of the defense, which allowed England to change the psychological course of the match immediately after the break. In the first half, Croatia showed that it could attack England, find space behind its full-backs and react well after conceding. In the second half, however, problems with tempo, exits from pressure and defending wide spaces became increasingly pronounced.
Dalić’s team now finds itself in a situation in which the next two group matches carry even greater weight. According to the schedule published by the Croatian Football Federation, after opening against England, Croatia plays Panama in Toronto and then Ghana in Philadelphia. In the expanded World Cup format, which according to FIFA rules brings together 48 national teams arranged in 12 groups, the two best teams from each group and the eight best third-placed national teams will qualify for the knockout stage. That means a defeat in the first round does not have to be decisive, but it significantly reduces the margin for error. Croatia will have to look for a win against Panama in order to regain control over its own position in Group L.
England received a major boost at the start of the tournament
For England, the victory against Croatia is a big result at the start of the tournament, not only because of the three points but also because of the way the team reacted after the two Croatian equalizers. Kane, with two goals, confirmed his status as the main attacking pillar, and Sporting News states that with this performance he drew level with Gary Lineker at the top of England’s list of World Cup scorers. Bellingham took over the match in the second half at moments when the result was being decided, while Rashford showed the value of freshness from the bench. England, according to The Guardian’s account of the match, also had periods of defensive uncertainty, but in the second half it was more intense and more concrete. That will be an important message for Tuchel ahead of the rest of the group.
England looked especially dangerous when it attacked immediately after winning the ball. Croatia was often stretched in such situations, and the English attackers quickly reached the final third or won set pieces. In the first half, Croatia managed to find an answer thanks to individual quality and experience, but after the break the English combination of speed and physical power increasingly came to the fore. Tuchel’s team thereby achieved what is most important in the opening of a tournament: it defeated a direct rival for the top of the group and immediately created an advantage in the standings. Still, the two goals conceded show that England also has issues it must solve, especially in defending set pieces and controlling the closing stages of halves.
The match was played in Dallas, one of the American host cities of the tournament, which in 2026 is being held in three countries for the first time: the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. FIFA announced ahead of the start of the competition that this is the largest World Cup so far, with 48 national teams and 104 matches. Dallas Stadium is one of the 16 host stadiums, and FIFA, in its confirmation of capacities, stated that it can receive 70,649 spectators for the tournament. That figure further emphasizes the scale of the tournament, but also the importance of the matches being played in large North American arenas. Croatia had its opener in exactly such an atmosphere, in front of a crowd that got one of the most efficient matches of the competition so far.
What the defeat means for Croatia in Group L
The 4:2 defeat leaves no room for dramatization, but it requires a quick reaction. In an attacking sense, Croatia showed enough to be able to believe in the continuation of the tournament, especially because the goals were scored by players of different profiles: a midfielder who attacks space and a striker who uses his moment in the box. But defensive stability must be greater if the team wants to earn points in the remaining matches. The World Cup in an expanded format gives somewhat more room for correction, but third-placed national teams are compared with other groups, so goal difference and the number of goals scored will also be very important. In that sense, two goals scored against England may be useful, but four conceded create a problem that must not be repeated.
Croatia’s next task will be to find a balance between attacking ambition and defensive responsibility. Against Panama, more possession and more initiative will be expected, but exactly such matches often bring a different kind of pressure. Croatia will have to show that it can control the rhythm, avoid leaving large spaces behind the back line and be more precise with the final pass. The experience of players who have already gone deep into major tournaments can help, but the meeting with England showed that experience alone is not enough if the opponent is allowed too many fast attacks. Dalić’s coaching staff will have a short time frame for corrections, especially in the areas of set pieces, recovery runs and covering the space between midfield and defense.
After this victory, England enters the rest of the group with great points and psychological capital, while Croatia must immediately shift focus to a match that can determine the further course of the tournament. In Dallas, it was visible that the Vatreni still have character, technical quality and the ability to come back after falling behind. It was also visible, however, that against a team with English speed and squad depth, every mistake quickly becomes punishment. For that reason, the 4:2 defeat will be an important lesson, but also a warning that at the World Cup points are not won only through good spells of play. Croatia had moments in the first match that inspire optimism, but to remain in the fight for the knockout stage it will need a more complete, firmer and tactically more disciplined performance.
Sources:
- FIFA – official schedule, results and context of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the group format, qualification for the knockout stage and ranking criteria (link)
- FIFA – Croatia’s squad at the 2026 World Cup and the official national-team list (link)
- FIFA / Inside FIFA – confirmed stadium capacities for the 2026 World Cup, including Dallas Stadium (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – schedule of the Croatian national team in Group L of the World Cup 2026 (link)
- The Guardian – live text coverage and description of the key moments of the England - Croatia 4:2 match (link)
- Sporting News – match report, goals and context of Harry Kane’s performance (link)
- Al Jazeera – result, scorers and basic information about the Group L match in Dallas (link)