England beats Croatia 4-2 in World Cup opener after halftime surge

England opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia at Dallas Stadium after pulling away in the second half of a tense Group L match. Harry Kane scored twice in the first half, first on a retaken penalty in the 12th minute and then with a header in the 42nd. Croatia answered through Martin Baturina in the 36th and Petar Musa deep in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2 at the break. Jude Bellingham put England ahead for good in the 47th minute, and Marcus Rashford added the fourth in the 85th after coming off the bench. Jordan Pickford also preserved England's lead with a late save from Marco Pasalic as Thomas Tuchel's side started the tournament with three points.