On June 18, England secured a 4-2 victory against Croatia in their opening match of Group L at the North America World Cup, held at Dallas Stadium in Texas.
In the 9th minute, following a corner kick taken by Declan Rice of Arsenal, Noni Madueke attempted to control the ball near the penalty area but was brought down by a challenge from Luka Modric. The referee promptly awarded a penalty kick.
Harry Kane stepped up to take the penalty, briefly pausing to disrupt the goalkeeper's timing. However, his shot was saved by Croatia's goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, as the ball slowed down and veered to the right. The referee then reviewed the play using VAR and determined that Livaković had stepped off his line, ordering the penalty to be retaken.
Kane converted the second penalty in the 12th minute, giving England an early lead.
Croatia responded in the 36th minute when Martin Baturina found the net, leveling the score.
Kane struck again with a header in the 42nd minute, putting England ahead 2-1, but Croatia equalized in stoppage time, making it 2-2 at halftime.
The momentum shifted in the second half when Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid scored in the 47th minute.
Substitute Marcus Rashford of Barcelona added a fourth goal for England in the 85th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area.
With this performance, Kane became the second England player to score in three consecutive World Cups, following David Beckham, who achieved the feat in 1998, 2002, and 2006.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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