England secured the most impressive victory in the first round of the World Cup! Looking more like a "pride of lions," they were truly ferocious!

By Han Yixi Under the gaze of 70,839 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, England and Croatia played what is arguably the best match of the 2026 World Cup so far. In a seesawing goal-filled contest, England secured a convincing 4-2 win, and Tuchel earned a debut victory in his first major tournament as a national team manager.

It's easy to imagine that Tuchel carried immense pressure into this tournament. Although his predecessor Gareth Southgate never won a major trophy, the England team arguably experienced their best period since their 1966 World Cup triumph during his eight-year tenure. Moreover, England had won their opening matches in both previous World Cups under Southgate—2-1 against Tunisia in 2018 and a commanding 6-2 victory over Iran in 2022.

The German coach fielded an identical starting lineup to the one that beat Costa Rica 3-0 in their final pre-World Cup friendly. The only possible point of contention was the centre-back pairing: John Stones was partnered by Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa instead of Manchester City's Marc Guehi. Winger Anthony Gordon, who had been officially announced as a high-profile signing for Barcelona just before the World Cup, was preferred over Marcus Rashford—whose loan at Barcelona was set to expire on June 30 before returning to Manchester United. Gordon joined Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke in supplying ammunition for Harry Kane, who was making his 115th appearance for England, surpassing Steven Gerrard and equaling David Beckham to move into the top three on the all-time list. Ahead of him was Wayne Rooney with 120 caps; if all goes well, Kane could overtake him during this World Cup.

In the 8th minute, Madueke—who only got the starting spot because his club teammate Bukayo Saka was not in peak physical condition—forced an error from veteran Croatian Luka Modric during a corner, winning a penalty. Kane's initial spot-kick was saved by Dominik Livakovic, but the keeper had moved off his line early, so the penalty was retaken. Kane didn't change his approach and confidently converted into the same corner. An interesting side note: Kane's Bayern teammate Josip Stanišić had given Livakovic precise instructions before the second attempt, but the goalkeeper ignored them. This was Kane's fifth penalty goal in World Cup history, setting a new tournament record.

In the 35th minute, after a series of team passes, Croatia equalized when Martin Baturina slotted home from the far post—this was their first shot on target of the match. Just six minutes later, Kane powered in a header from Declan Rice's corner. That was his 10th World Cup goal, equaling the record held by England legend Gary Lineker. He also became the first England player to score at least two goals in three different World Cups. Remarkably, before Kane's late run and header, the Croatian defenders left him completely unmarked, ignoring the English talisman entirely.

Before the World Cup, Kane reported to the national team with a new record under his belt. In the recently concluded 25/26 season, he scored 67 goals for Bayern Munich and England combined—the highest single-season goal tally in a World Cup year. The previous record was Cristiano Ronaldo's 61 goals in 13/14, followed by Lionel Messi's 51 in 17/18 and Erling Haaland's 51 in 25/26, all well behind Kane's total. Before heading to the World Cup, he had already scored 79 goals for England, while the combined international tally of all his 25 teammates was only 67.

The dramatic "Battle of the Princes" that characterized England's Euro 2024 campaign was effectively ended by Tuchel just before the World Cup. The controversy over dropping Phil Foden and Cole Palmer had faded. On the day before the tournament started, full-back Tino Livramento was forced to withdraw due to a muscle injury, and Tuchel chose Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah as his replacement instead of the natural full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was eagerly waiting for the call at Real Madrid.

Princes came and went, but the emperor remained brilliant. Unsurprisingly, Kane was named Man of the Match. Beyond his goals, the England captain was everywhere and did everything. Not only did he lead the attack, but he also dropped deep to link play as usual, even retreating to his own half to pick up the ball and organize moves. A moment in the 4th minute of stoppage time moved England fans deeply: Kane dropped to his knees in the box to block a dangerous shot with his body, and just one minute later, he was already in the opponent's box taking a shot. In this single match, the Three Lions looked far more like a well-organized, clearly divided "pride of lions" than they ever did under Southgate, with Kane as the undisputed lion king.

These "lions" did not resort to deep defending after taking the lead, as they often did under Southgate. Against Croatia—a team that had reached the semi-finals in the last two World Cups—England also actively sought to control possession. A potentially surprising statistic: during the qualifying campaign, they averaged 73.9% possession, the highest in Europe. Even against Croatia, who boast midfield maestros like Modric and Mateo Kovacic, England managed 52% possession.

More importantly, their attacking efficiency—22 shots with 11 on target—far outclassed Croatia's 10 shots with 5 on target. The England team that performed before the Dallas crowd was smoother and more effective than in any previous tournament. The last-minute goal they conceded in the first half did not rattle them; less than two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham drove forward and slotted home, steadying their nerves. The Real Madrid midfielder, at 22 years and 353 days old, broke the record set just days earlier by German forward Jamal Musiala as the youngest European player to appear in four major tournaments. His performance on both ends of the pitch satisfied the fans.

After the match, Tuchel praised the team's second-half performance: "We took the lead twice, but after each lead we couldn't find our rhythm and dropped too deep—that's not our style. Fortunately, our second-half display was excellent, with more courage, intensity, and aggression." In the final 20 minutes, taking advantage of Croatia's high press, Tuchel's substitutions proved effective. England repeatedly threatened the Croatian goal on the counterattack, and in the 86th minute, Bukayo Saka provided an assist to fellow substitute Marcus Rashford, who easily cut past a defender and slotted home to seal the victory.

Declan Rice, who provided the assist, couldn't help praising Tuchel: "I can't say too much, but his halftime talk was first-class—it settled everyone down." It's too early to talk about championship credentials, as their defense is far from reassuring. John Stones, who has played limited minutes for Manchester City this season, failed to marshal the backline. Some fans even brought up Harry Maguire, noting that with him in the side, England had never conceded two goals in the first half in previous major tournaments. However, these flaws do not overshadow the overall performance. The form and spirit England displayed in this match deserve more anticipation.