More reaction and analysis
David Hytner was at the Dallas Stadium, and here’s his report …
… here are Ed Aarons’ player ratings …
… and arguably most importantly of all, here’s Anna C, following up her potted history of KEX (87 min) with the skinny on PLOPP: “Plopp has been around since the 1940s, and lord knows what they were thinking back then, so your guess is as good as mine.” Thanks Anna, and thanks to you all for reading this MBM!
Thomas Tuchel – whose half-time “speech” has the potential to go down in legend, should England make it this summer - talks to ITV … and he’s giving off relaxed, calm, content vibes. “Good second half … good reaction … the first half was a bit complicated for us … bit nervy … decisions we took … too safe … played too many balls backwards … didn’t have the confidence to find the gaps … 33 percent ground duels won in the first half … 73 in the second … off the ball it was not brave enough … I loved the reaction of the players in the second half … it was excellent … we deserved to win … but it was emotional … it took us a while to get going … but we did get going and that’s the positive … [at half-time] I just reinforced … even if we lose it will not change my perception of the last 17 days … but let’s do it our way … we are too focused on the result … on protecting what we anyway don’t have at the moment … the second goal was an example … we were a back seven and didn’t defend the goal, so why be a back seven? … if the result doesn’t go our way, we want to play the way we want to … tried to encourage them to go for it … we are exhausted, but don’t get me wrong, I love exhausted players in the dressing room … today there is only positives … tomorrow we fix all the other stuff.”
As for possible injuries to Declan Rice and Marcus Rashford, both spotted slightly limping after the match: “I hope they are OK … I would normally never take Declan out … but I didn’t want to take any risk.”
Jude Bellingham speaks to ITV. “The second half especially, we really showed what we are about … the team we want to be … the first half we were a little bit nervy, cagey … rushed a bit … the second half we created a nicer rhythm … [Tuchel’s half-time ‘speech’] wasn’t a big drama … he wasn’t standing up shouting … it was just what the team needed … everyone knew the level we had to get to … the start of the second half gave us a good platform … credit to the manager and his staff … the [second-half] intensity was top level … we hit the mark today.”
Post-match postbag. “Impressed that Tuchel told team at half time that ‘if we lose, we lose in our way’. At so many tournaments, England play as if they’re afraid to lose” – Anil Patel
“This England side is more reminiscent of the team we usually see strolling through qualifications without any pressure, than the tournament version which usually breaks down for one reason or another” – Joakim Haby
“Seeing England play against Croatia always makes me think of 2018, when I was thirteen, still had bangs and braces, and went to summer camp in who-knows-where America. A nearby university student from England was one of our counselors (is that the right word?) and he was OBSESSED with the World Cup. He made us all sit and watch England games with us and since he played soccer, he explained the rules to all of us middle schoolers who had never heard of soccer before. He sparked my love for the game. Second-to-last day of camp, he comes tearing across campus screaming that England had scored against Croatia. We all ran to join him in watching the rest of the game. It was my first ever heartbreak. I don’t remember the guy’s name-it might have been Ben or Mark-but if you’re reading this, man, you’re the reason why I love the sport today. And I hope you are having a better time watching this game today” – Rebekah Voss
We have pictures as well as words. An eye-catching performance from England has a gallery to match.
Harry Kane speaks to ITV. “It was a game of two halves … first half we was OK … really disappointing to concede in the way we did … the way we dropped off … credit to the manager who gave us a speech at half time … he said if we lose, we lose in our way … you saw that in the way we came out second half … we went full gas and they couldn’t deal with it … that’s the level we have to set for every game … credit to everyone … the intensity we went at is our biggest strength … we have to use that more in this tournament … it’s three points on the board and a great start … whoever plays, everyone is ready.”
England soak up the love from their fans in the Dallas Stadium. A lot of positives for them to enjoy. The attack flowed: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford all opened their accounts, Noni Madueke was consistently dangerous, and Bukayo Saka, still gingerly coping with injury, will be delighted with his assist. Hats off as well to Thomas Tuchel and his assistant Anthony Barry, whose half-time fume powered England to their second-half heights. Managerial tweaks not to be sniffed at. The first half was a curate’s egg, and the defence might need some work, but you can’t have everything. Plenty to build on going forward.
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Harry Kane’s clinical first-half double – let’s forget about the farcical first attempt at the penalty – means he ties Gary Lineker’s England record for goals at World Cups at ten. It also means there are only nine players in history to have scored more times at the World Cup. Here’s the list, which won’t still look like this at the end of the tournament, you can be sure of that.
FULL TIME: England 4-2 Croatia
A little bit of payback for the 2018 semi-final, and England are off to a flyer.
90 min +6: Kane hasn’t given up on that hat-trick, and cuts in from the right before launching wildly into the stand behind. A punter claims the dropping ball and yelps in delight at his save.
90 min +5: The corner drops to Gvardiol, six yards out. He must score … but Kane throws himself the road of the shot to block! No hat-trick for Kane today, but that’s as good as a goal.
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90 min +4: Perisic heads down for Kramaric, who has a go from the edge of the England box. Blocked. Perisic comes again, and wins a corner off Spence. He’ll take it himself.
90 min +2: Marco Pasalic diddles his way down the right but can’t get past O’Reilly. Otherwise, Croatia look dejected, their race run.
90 min: There will be six additional minutes.
89 min: England thoroughly deserve this for their high-octane second-half display. Two superb goals. Some questions remain in defence, perhaps, but that’s for later. Enjoy the moment.
87 min: Stones is replaced by Guehi, England’s final swap tonight. Meanwhile Anna C has the lowdown on KEX: “It’s actually Kexchoklad (it says so in white on red if you zoom a little) where kex = wafer and choklad = choklad, describing what it is quite to the point, as is the Swedish way. This is very important, as this is THE classic Swedish snack candy for any ski outing, school sports day or similar, and as such oozes nostalgia. I will not get into the pronunciation (k pronounced shhh or with a hard k) controversy, as it is on par with the .gif quarrel, and as everyone with half a brain knows a hard k is the only way to go.”
And PLOPP?
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GOAL! England 4-2 Croatia (Rashford 85)
Game over! Saka skips down the right touchline and looks for Spence. His pass doesn’t find his man, but he regains the ball and rolls infield for Rashford, who is free on the edge of the box. Rashford chops inside, gives Livakovic the eyes, and curls a low shot into the bottom right. Lovely England move! Saka magnificent, with a finish to match.
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84 min: Kovacic finds a pocket of space in the middle, 35 yards out, and tries to catch Pickford out with a threaded effort towards the bottom left. There’s no pace whatsoever on the shot and it’s an easy snaffle for the keeper. But England are sitting deep and inviting pressure.
82 min: Spence hares after a pass down the inside-right channel but can’t force a shot past Livakovic, who has conceded three times despite playing like a superstar. Who’d be a goalie?
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81 min: “Entertaining goals and chances are all well and good, but what’s the xG?” wonders Eddy Nason. “I believe that’s the official currency of football now.” Your wish is my command, Eddy. England are on 2.36 while Croatia lag behind on 0.38.
81 min: Kramaric crosses from the left. Pickford punches clear, though not particularly convincingly. The ball drops to Sucic, on the edge of the box. Pickford breathes again as Sucic flays a dismal effort miles over the bar.
80 min: Bellingham, tonight’s difference maker, is replaced by Spence. England perhaps looking to shore things up and keep hold of what they have.
79 min: Croatia make a double switch, replacing Mario Pasalic and Baturina with Kramaric and Vlasic. Meanwhile ITV report that Rice was limping a little bit when he left the field of play, so that should power the news cycle for the next few days.
77 min: No, this game isn’t done and dusted. Matanovic has a whack from distance. It’s heading into the bottom left, but not at enough pace to beat Pickford.
76 min: Marco Pasalic scampers down the right, enters the box, and makes enough space to shoot from a tight angle. Pickford, who has had little to do in this second half, parries well. A reminder that this game is not yet over. “I can tell you one thing, Scott,” begins Nelson Calvinho. “Pub owners must love these hydration breaks. Every time one comes along, everyone in the pub heads to the bar to get ‘hydrated’ in sympathy. I reckon pubs will really miss them once the Premier League season ends.”
75 min: Rashford nearly latches onto Stanisic’s weak back-header down the England left. Livakovic comes to the edge of his area to block-clear, just in time.
74 min: Rogers jinks down the right but upon entering the Croatia box can’t link up with Saka.
72 min: England make their first changes. Rogers comes on for Rice, Saka replaces Madueke, and Gordon makes way for Rashford.
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71 min: Plopp and Kex, though!
70 min: … and that’s drinks. More vindaloo sauce and pepper dip, anyone?
… although the red-and-white checkerboard pattern of Belgium’s ketjep mayo seems more on point for the Croats. Meanwhile in completely unrelated news, here’s your regular reminder that the Sweden entry features sweeties called PLOPP and KEX.
69 min: Madueke crosses from the right. Kane flicks on for Gordon, whose first-time belt is blocked by Stanisic. A move not totally unlike the one that led to Croatia’s second equaliser.
68 min: England’s pace has dropped a little bit. They were unlikely to keep that up for the entire second 45, to be fair. “Roll on the Hydration Break,” hollers Rich Cutler. “I’ve done a whole bag of Revels already, and really need to brush my teeth. How much longer? I liked those Keith Williams pictures, btw.”
66 min: Croatia make a double change, replacing Musa and Vuskovic with Matanovic and Marco Pasalic. (The Pasalic who started the game, and remains on, is Mario.)
64 min: Kovacic steals the ball off O’Reilly and sends Sucic sashaying into the England box from the right. But Sucic takes one touch too many in his attempt to beat Stones, and runs the ball out for a goal kick. A little bit better from Croatia, who were seriously reeling and rocking back there.
63 min: Croatia have calmed it down a bit since Kovacic’s arrival. More possession as they attempt to settle the game down. England are still pressing hard, though, and all of the play is in the Croatian half.
61 min: Thomas Tuchel has been hovering on the touchline since the restart. His mere presence seems to be encouraging England into action. They’ve been super-intense in this second half. “I’m sorry, but are England fun to watch now?” splutters Matt Emerson. “This is a deeply unsettling turn of events. We haven’t been fun since Joe Mercer was in charge and we got rid of him sharpish to make sure it didn’t happen again.”
59 min: Are these words not enough? No they are not. Gallery here!
58 min: Modric, who has looked his age tonight, is replaced by Kovacic. Croatia had to do something. England are all over them.
56 min: Livakovic punches the corner clear. Hard. But the ball comes into the box again. Kane tries to force home. Livakovic makes another save with strong hand. Then the ball’s sent in a third time. Stanisic just about holds Kane off, six yards out. Livakovic with a one-man supershow!
55 min: Madueke and James combine down the right and earn yet another corner. Rice saunters over to take it in the Arsenal style. But when it’s eventually sent in, football breaks out! O’Reilly meets Rice’s delivery and powers a header goalwards. Livakovic sticks up a hand to stop. Gordon has another go. The keeper parries again! What a double save! But it’ll be another corner, this time from the left.
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53 min: One Rice corner from the right leads to another. From the second, Madueke tries to break into space down the right, but toes out for a goal kick. He was caught late by Modric, and is unlucky not to earn a free kick just to the side of the box. But goal kick it is.
52 min: Rice swans in from the left flank, opens his body, and sends a power curler towards the top right. It’s not quite tucked in the far corner, and Livakovic is able to turn around the post. But it’s another England corner, and Croatia are hanging on a bit here.
51 min: Croatia need to settle themselves. Baturina buys them some time with a dribble down the right, buying a cheap free kick when finally surrounded by white shirts. Modric sends the free kick into the mixer, but Kane clears.
49 min: Rice sends the corner long from the left. O’Reilly, unmarked six yards out at the far post, heads wide right. One way or another, England should be 4-2 up. Penny to have been a fly on the wall during Tuchel’s half-time speech.
48 min: Bellingham picks up possession again, and from the left-hand edge of the Croatia D, whacks a shot straight at Livakovic. Either side of the keeper, and that was two goals in as many minutes. As things stand, it’s just a corner.
GOAL! England 3-2 Croatia (Bellingham 47)
If England’s stars have been given the what-for, it’s certainly worked! Bellingham latches onto a long Anderson pass down the right. It was meant for Madueke. But Bellingham takes charge, and barrels off down the flank, powering infield, and lashing a low shot across Livakovic and into the bottom left! What a start to the second half!
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Croatia – having been kept waiting by late arrivals England, who may or may not have been given a firm talking-to - eventually get the second half started. No changes. “Livakovic‘s kit is so pink, I assume Anish Kapoor wouldn’t be allowed to buy a replica,” writes Matt Dony. “Because, if we can’t make niche, faux-high brow jokes with a self-congratulatory air in an MBM, where can we?”
Anthony Barry, England’s assistant coach, has just told ITV that the team “fell back into fearful patterns … confused … complicated.” Talk of nervous energy not doing England any favours. He didn’t look particularly happy.
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Half-time postbag. “I’m loath to defend these hydration/match breaks, but if there’s going to be even one match in the tournament with them, then all of the matches need them. Otherwise teams in matches in climate controlled conditions such as this one would be able to allege (accurately) that their group opponents had the opportunity for mid-half tactics in hotter environments that they didn’t similarly enjoy. So in the interest of fairness they all need to have them” – Matt Burtz
“As a counter-balance to Alun Pugh (25 min), I can’t function at work without an endless supply of tea. That’s just sitting at a desk, let alone running around a field for 90 minutes” – Phil Sawyer
“As a neutral, I was supporting England when the match started, but after Kane’s stutter I switched allegiance to Croatia” – Vlado
“I would have thought the Croatia set-piece coach would have known all about Declan Rice’s corners by now. But then again, maybe even the professionals couldn’t stand watching too much of Arsenal this year” – Justin Kavanagh
“Looking forward to ITV’s cursory analysis of the first half, then giving it the big build up to Scotland’s next game on Friday. That’s how these things work, right?” – Simon McMahon
HALF TIME: England 2-2 Croatia
A suggestion that Perisic might have been offside in the build-up … but Konsa was playing him on. And that’s that. A very productive half of football for England captain Harry Kane, but Croatia simply refuse to lie down. A very entertaining match. More, please!
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GOAL! England 2-2 Croatia (Musa 45+5)
The half looks to be petering out. Then suddenly Croatia snap into life. Pasalic dinks forwards. Perisic cushions a header down for Musa, who opens his body and sidefoots across Pickford and into the bottom right!
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45 min +4: Pasalic has a crack from 25 yards, looking for the top right. Always wide, always high.
45 min +3: Croatia pass and probe, only for Perisic to needlessly run the ball out of play on the left flank.
45 min +1: James batters the free kick straight at Modric. He’s hit better.
45 min: Bellingham is brushed by Pasalic, 30 yards from the Croatia goal. He goes over and wins a soft free kick in a very dangerous position. There will be five additional first-half minutes.
43 min: A brilliant delivery from Rice, with a finish to suit! That’s Kane’s tenth goal at a World Cup finals, and he equals a record Gary Lineker set at Mexico 86 and Italia 90.
GOAL! England 2-1 Croatia (Kane 42)
Rice sends the corner long. Kane steals in on the penalty spot, and powers a downward header into the bottom left. Pow! Easy as that, and Livakovic had no chance whatsoever!
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41 min: Madueke’s presence down the right forces Vuskovic into the concession of a corner. Rice ambles over to take it …
40 min: Bellingham shipped possession in the build-up to the equaliser. First Modric, now Bellingham … opening-match World Cup nerves can affect the best of them.
38 min: Pickford got a finger to that, but was in no position to stop it. And no wonder, because Baturina’s shot has been recorded as flying in at 120 kilometers per hour.
GOAL! England 1-1 Croatia (Baturina 36)
Croatia suddenly snap into life, and suddenly Croatia are level! Sucic advances down the right and cuts back for Baturina, romping in from the flank. A first-time rising shot flies across Pickford and into the top left! That’s an absolute belter!
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35 min: James hooks in from the right. Kane wins a header at the far stick, but not convincingly, as he’s under pressure from Sutalo. Croatia clear their lines.
33 min: Stanisic spins O’Reilly out on the Croatian right, and is hauled back. O’Reilly is perhaps fortunate to avoid a booking. Meanwhile on the penalty, here’s Steve Bradfield: “If the taker stutters I would suggest the keeper’s reaction to move is understandable which is surely the whole purpose of the stutter which would be like Kane throwing a dummy in open play.”
31 min: Kane releases Madueke down the right. Madueke curls a delicious low cross into the centre. Bellingham very nearly gets in ahead of Vuskovic, but trips over his own feet in his attempt to poke goalwards. Madueke looks dangerous every time he gets involved.
30 min: … so yes, that break appears to have allowed Croatia to rethink and regroup. They’re seeing more of the ball now.
28 min: Kane miscontrols 30 yards from his own goal, and allows Musa to dribble off with the ball. But Musa dithers when he should drive, and eventually loses control himself. Not for the first time today, England’s captain gets away with one.
27 min: Let’s see if that wholly unnecessary break will jigger England’s momentum. Speaking of momentum … “I think if the penalty taker does a stutter step then the keeper should be allowed to move off his line from the start of the stutter,” opines David Flynn. “It’s hard enough for the keeper without not knowing when the ball will actually be kicked.”
26 min: Play restarts. Meanwhile it’s been officially confirmed that the retake was awarded for both Gvardiol’s encroachment and Livakovic coming off his line. Admin, glorious admin.
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25 min: “After 25 minutes in a temperature and humidity controlled stadium, professional athletes stop for an ad break.” Alun Pugh breaking it down so I don’t have to.
23 min: … and that’s drinks. Boos greet the unpopular Hydration Break. So what do England and Croatia have for us here, then?
Vindaloo cooking sauce and an aubergine dip? They could double as drinks at a push. Not 100 percent sure of their isotonic qualities, but that’s what’s on the menu.
21 min: Bellingham barges his way down the left, sent away by QB Kane, dropping deep. But he runs out of space by the time he reaches the edge of the box, and the ball breaks through to Livakovic, who gathers. England were second best until the penalty; now they look dangerous every time they break forward.
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20 min: Anderson nips in to steal a loose ball in the middle of the park. Suddenly England are on the attack. But Anderson holds onto possession for too long, and when he eventually looks for Kane to his right, there’s no room to thread the pass.
18 min: Maybe Livakovic can’t complain about Gvardiol’s encroachment too much. Replays suggest the keeper was off his line before Kane took the kick as well. Either way, the retake was the correct decision.
16 min: Madueke is sent scampering down the right by Kane. A shot’s blocked and deflected wide right for a corner. The set piece is cut back for Anderson, and there’s another blocked effort. Croatia clear this time. A breathless start to this game!
15 min: Perisic advances down the right and crosses low. Musa can’t quite get the ball under control on the penalty spot. James has a grab at Musa but misses. It’s just as well, because it would have been a penalty had he got hands on. A corner’s awarded instead, then taken away from Croatia under the new regs. The small margins all going England’s way at the moment.
14 min: That’s a huge let-off for Kane. The initial stuttered run-up was a disaster waiting to happen, and sure enough it was an awful penalty. But take two was magnificent, a no-nonsense skelp into the bottom right. Pity poor Livakovic, who will be cursing Gvardiol.
GOAL! England 1-0 Croatia (Kane 12 pen)
Kane doesn’t tippy-toe his run-up this time. He slams the spot kick into the right-hand portion of the net, the keeper going the wrong way, and England lead!
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Kane misses penalty ... but it's a retake!
10 min: Kane performs the tippy toes … and scuffs a dismal penalty towards the bottom right. Livakovic saves, and the ball’s cleared. But Gvardiol has encroached, so Kane will get a second chance!
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Penalty for England!
9 min: The corner comes in. Croatia don’t clear it. Madueke gets to a dropping ball first. Modric doesn’t see him, and in attempting to hook clear, kicks the England player. He’s just given the ball away, and now he’s given away a penalty. What a terrible 60 seconds for Croatia’s captain!
8 min: A poor touch by Modric, of all people, allows Madueke the chance to race down the right. The ball’s fed inside for Kane, who spins and shoots from the edge of the box. The ball’s deflected wide right, and that’s England’s first corner of the game. Rice trots across to take.
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7 min: Gordon makes a run down the left, hoping to be released by Rice, but the midfielder doesn’t spot the pass.
5 min: Kane drops deep to get his first touch of the ball, but his pass down the middle for Gordon is easily intercepted. Vuskovic goes long, and Musa chases. Pickford comes out of his box to blooter clear, then gives his team-mates the benefit of his opinion. England haven’t got going yet.
4 min: … and now Perisic comes barrelling down the left, but his low cross is intercepted by Rice. The 2018 finalists and 2022 semi-finalists starting strongly.
3 min: Perisic hits the corner long. Sutalo is in a bit of space on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He can’t keep his volley down, and it sails harmlessly wide right and high. The England defence all over the shop there.
2 min: England try to play out calmly from the back. Stones gets jittery. A misplaced pass or two later, and it’s the first corner of the match. Perisic will send it in from the right.
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England get the ball rolling. Rice specifically. He rolls back to Pickford, who launches long. Croatia intercept and clear.
A cracking atmosphere in the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys. Kane and Modric swap merchandise. We’ll be off in a minute. “With all the focus on those mummified ancients in the Croatian midfield, it’s easy to overlook that the back line is, comparatively, a flock of spring chickens,” observes Kári Tulinius. “The fullbacks Šutalo and Stanišić are 26 years of age, two years older than Gvardiol, who’s partnered in defense by the 19-year-old Luka Vušković, which makes him less than half the age of his captain.”
The teams are out, and it’s time for the national anthems. Croatia first. ♪ ♫ ♬ “Our beautiful homeland / O so fearless and gracious / Our fathers’ ancient glory / May you be happy forever ... Drava, Sava, keep on flowing! / Danube, do not lose your vigour! / Deep blue sea, tell the world / That a Croat loves his people!” ♪ ♫ ♬
And now it’s England’s turn. ♪ ♫ ♬ “We love Bulldog Bobby / Bulldog Bulldog Bob / We love Bulldog Bobby / He’s everybody’s number-one top dog!” ♪ ♫ ♬
[Narrator: Bulldog Bobby was not everybody’s number-one top dog]
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Pre-match postbag: World Cup fever special. “I am imbibing your MBM with a beer on the train from Marylebone to Warwick and feel patriotically bound to inform you that excitement about England’s reasonable chances of victory tonight has reached the driver’s cab on my train. The usual modest tooting of the horn has been replaced by a ‘toot, toot, toot-toot-toot, toot-toot-toot-toot, ENG-LAND’” – Adrian Birch, somewhere around Bicester
“I’m watching this in a bar in the good ol’ USA (Nashville, Tennessee to be precise). It’s 22 years almost to the day that I last watched England v Croatia in an American bar (that day it was San Francisco) in the 2004 Euros, when a young lad called Wayne Rooney tore Croatia apart. Whatever happened to him, I wonder?” – Nick Parish
“First sunny evening for about a week here, so I’m off for a stroll by the Clyde with maybe a stop for a pint and a read. Oh, there’s a game on tonight? Huh” – James Humphries
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that England only win the World Cup when there is a gentleman of Fulham among the assembly. We therefore find it inexplicable that Mr Tuchel did not include young Master King in his party for that would have guaranteed that the honourable Captain Kane lifted the golden bauble. We can only assume that Mr Tuchel is of the opinion that a former gentleman of Fulham will suffice, for how else can one explain the presence of Mr Burn?” – Richard Hirst
“Keith Williams’ sketches are delightful. That’s all I wanted to say!” – Rachel Kelly
“If England lose and it all goes off, the very talented Keith Williams might have to add a slash of Constable red to his renderings” – Ian Copestake
England will play in their first-choice kit of white tonight. Harry Kane will hand over the FA’s stunningly boring pennant.
Croatia are therefore forced into second-choice blue. Always a shame when they’re not bedecked in their world-famous red-and-white checks, but the blue-and-even-darker-blue version is still a sight for sore eyes.
England have played 14 times under Thomas Tuchel. The manager’s record is pretty good: he’s won 11 of those games to the cumulative tune of 29-0. However there’s a fairly big caveat. The other three matches are the only times Tuchel has faced a team from the world’s top 20: England drew with Uruguay and lost to Senegal and Japan, all at home. Croatia are currently ranked 11th on the Fifa list. It’s a trend that needs snapping sooner rather than later if England (ranked world number four, to be fair) are to do anything this summer.
Luka Modric, who made his World Cup debut in 2006, 20 years ago tomorrow, coming on during a goalless draw with Japan, talks to ITV as well. “We did good qualifications … we played well … now is the real deal … we will see where we are at the moment … how good we are … I have a lot of confidence and belief in this team … a lot of young players … still some old guard … let’s see … age is just a number … this is how I see it … for me it’s not important … it’s important how you feel … what you do on the pitch.”
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Thomas Tuchel speaks to Independent Television. “This is what we have worked for … the goal of the prep camp … to be ready for the day … I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world … so let’s go … ideal conditions … to play an intensive match … that’s our aim … we stick with the team that started so well against Costa Rica … we will not start and finish this match with 11 players … we need a strong bench … we have players who can influence and change matches from the bench … that is important … it was a 50-50 call to go with Jude [instead of Morgan Rogers] … I expected Mateo Kovacic to start so we have one slight tweak … we need to adapt our press … we are prepared for that … we are at the starting line … we let the players go and take the next steps.”
… so Jude Bellingham does indeed get the nod at 10 over Morgan Rogers. Anthony Gordon has been selected ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left, while Noni Madueke patrols the other flank; Bukayo Saka, not 100 percent fit, remains wrapped up safely on the bench. Ezri Konsa starts alongside John Stones in the centre of defence.
Croatia captain Luka Modric, 40, is about to appear at his fifth World Cup. He wins his 199th cap tonight. Ivan Perišić will make do with his 155th cap. Mateo Kovacic is on the bench and dreaming of cap number 114.
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The teams
England: Pickford, James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly, Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.
Subs: Dean Henderson, Trafford, Guehi, Burn, Spence, Quansah, Jordan Henderson, Mainoo, Rogers, Eze, Saka, Rashford, Watkins, Toney.
Croatia: Livakovic, Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Stanisic, Modric, Petar Sucic, Perisic, Mario Pasalic, Baturina, Musa.
Subs: Pandur, Kotarski, Pongracic, Caleta-Car, Jakic, Erlic, Moro, Kovacic, Vlasic, Fruk, Luka Sucic, Kramaric, Budimir, Matanovic, Marco Pasalic.
Referee: Clement Turpin (France).
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Way out west east. While the soccer stars get ready to rumble in Texas, art has broken out in Shoreditch, east London. “Dunno if it’s of interest but I’m sketching the England fans at the Old Blue Last,” writes Keith Williams, and very nice his work is too. Enjoy, observe, interpret, comprehend, appreciate, etc.
Some more scene-setting from our folk in Arlington. This comes to you from Guardian football writer and occasional meteorologist / retail trends analyst Ed Aarons.
It’s going to be a hot one at the Dallas Stadium for England’s opening game of the World Cup against Croatia, with temperatures expected to exceed 33 degrees when the game kicks off. Thankfully there is air conditioning throughout with a capacity crowd of 70,000 expected. Lots of England and Croatia fans have been gathering over the road from one of the entrances outside a Walmart, which I would imagine is much cheaper than buying drinks inside Fifa-land …
Some early team news. Courtesy of our man on the spot, Jacob Steinberg.
As predicted in today’s Super Soaraway Guardian, Jude Bellingham gets the nod at No10 for England. Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke are on the flanks, with the latter preferred to Bukayo Saka, who’s been trying to shake off an Achilles problem. Ezri Konsa is picked over Marc Guehi in central defence too.
Time To Kill pt III. Our comprehensive Player Guide features every single player going to North America this summer, with potted bios written by experts from all around the world. Contains no trace of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and that’s an Official Guardian Guarantee™.
Time To Kill pt II. Bracketology allows you to curate your very own World Cup pipe dream. Click yon, drag hither, plot a route, reconfigure. Or if you’ve not got that much precious time to waste, hit shuffle and see what pops up. I’ve just done that and Curaçao have beaten Iraq in the final. Once again – because it’s the second time I’ve tested and trailed the shuffle feature – England didn’t get out of their group, and I’m beginning to suspect the coding for this was done in Glasgow. Anyway, it’s good fun, so get on it!
Time To Kill pt I. You want preview pieces? We got preview pieces.
Preamble
It’s day seven of the 2026 World Cup, and finally England are on their way. They are Tom’s 26. Hear the roar, of the red, white and … ah who remembers that cheesy old song anyway? Point is, after an interminable wait, England are at long last getting down to business.
Whether they’d have hand-picked Croatia as their first opponents is a moot point. On the one hand, England are a young and vibrant team, the sap rising, while most of Croatia’s first choice are in their 30s and their captain and talisman Luka Modric is now into his fifth decade. But on the other, this is a team that reached the final in 2018 and the semis last time round, and all of that Croatian experience has got to count for something.
There’s also the small matter of the head to head. England have won the last two meetings between the countries, in November 2018 and at Euro 2020, but the big ones that really counted went Croatia’s way – in Euro 2008 qualifying and the 2018 World Cup semi – and those results cut deep. So yes, England would have probably preferred to start their campaign against Panama or Ghana, but here we all are. Can England get it right this time? Kick off is at 9pm BST, 3pm at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. It’s on!
