Kane double fires England past Croatia in World Cup thriller

Harry Kane scored twice as England defeated Croatia 4-2 in a high-tempo Group L encounter at the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

The match revived memories of the sides' meeting in the 2018 World Cup semifinal, when Croatia came from behind to beat England 2-1 after extra time on its way to a historic appearance in the final.

Harry Kane of England celebrates his goal during the group L match between England and Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Dallas Stadium in Dallas, the United States, on June 17, 2026. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

England took the lead in the 12th minute through Kane. The striker saw his initial penalty saved by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but the kick was ordered to be retaken after VAR ruled that Livakovic had moved off his line. Kane made no mistake with his second attempt to put England ahead.

Croatia leveled the score in the 36th minute. Petar Sucic's cut-back found Martin Baturina on the edge of the area, and the midfielder's powerful strike beat Jordan Pickford despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.

England regained the lead six minutes later when Kane rose to head home Declan Rice's corner for his second goal of the match, also drawing him level with Gary Lineker's England World Cup scoring record of 10 goals.

Croatia struck back on the stroke of halftime. Ivan Perisic nodded a clipped pass toward the far post and Petar Musa arrived unmarked to tap home from close range, sending the teams into the break level at 2-2.

England restored its advantage just two minutes after the restart. Jude Bellingham collected a long pass from Elliot Anderson, drove into the penalty area and drilled a powerful shot beyond Livakovic.

The Three Lions continued to create chances in the second half, but Livakovic produced a series of saves to keep Croatia in contention. However, substitute Marcus Rashford curled a composed finish into the far corner in the 85th minute to seal the 4-2 victory.

"I thought it was a game of two halves. First half, we were OK. Really disappointed to concede the way we did," Kane said after the match.

"Credit to the manager. The manager gave us a speech at halftime. We went full gas at the start of the second half. They couldn't live with it. The intensity we went at, I think that's our biggest strength. We're going to have to use that more in this tournament. It's three points on the board and a great start," he added.

England will face Ghana in Boston on June 23, while Croatia takes on Panama in Toronto.