England’s fans poured out of Dallas Stadium into the warm night air buzzing with a sense of genuine exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel’s side made their World Cup mark.
Harry Kane had urged his teammates to be “free in the mind” and embrace the pressure the tournament brings, and his squad responded in vivid fashion.
England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia was a mixture of thrilling attacking football and worrying defensive frailty, but supporters left the arena wearing smiles that told the real story.
This was, in a word that has been painfully absent from the England experience for some time, fun.
England have been a hard watch for much of the recent era, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar four years ago, with both tournaments offering dry fare despite the deep runs.
Sir Gareth Southgate’s excellent record showed the ends justified the means, but it was rarely done in a style that moved anyone towards the edge of their seat.
Not here, with Tuchel’s side producing a game that nobody inside that vast arena could tear their eyes away from for a single second.
The cold fury of Tuchel on the touchline in the first half gave way to an attacking siege in the second, which culminated in the England head coach falling into the arms of fellow German Jurgen Klopp, who was present working as a TV pundit.
England led twice through captain Kane, who equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup record of 10 goals for his country, only for poor defending to allow Croatia back into the game on both occasions.
Kane, who now has a remarkable 81 goals in 115 internationals, saw a stuttering penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic before earning a reprieve when the keeper was adjudged to have strayed off his line, and he was not passing up the second chance.
Jude Bellingham restored England’s lead moments after the break, driving past Mario Pasalic before beating Livakovic in a moment that typified his powerful, surging influence from midfield throughout the contest.
Croatia were pinned back under a sustained wave of attacks in the second half, somehow surviving until Marcus Rashford wrapped up the victory late on and put the result beyond doubt.
The selection of Ezri Konsa ahead of Marc Guehi was contentious, and it is a debate that will continue given the Aston Villa defender did not make a compelling case for continued inclusion during a difficult first half.
Tuchel’s attacking substitutions after 72 minutes, bringing on the attack-minded Morgan Rogers in place of Declan Rice alongside Rashford and Bukayo Saka, sent the clearest signal of his intentions with England 3-2 ahead at the time.
“When we were sat there watching the game and I saw the three lads coming on, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers, I said ‘I absolutely love these subs’,” said former England forward Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for BBC Sport.
“I loved how positive Thomas Tuchel was being because if you sit back and wait for Croatia to come on then it gets nervy. It’s brave and shows he’s trying to win the game. Then Djed Spence came on and all four involved in that goal, I think it’s brilliant.”
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson echoed those sentiments, stating that the bench players gave Tuchel a real headache, which he described as the biggest takeaway from the performance.
Former keeper Joe Hart added: “He said ‘we’re going to blow these out of the water’. We have the legs, we have the ability. He brought them on and it’s so good for the squad for the bench to come on and impact like that.”
Tuchel has never attempted to downplay expectations, with “the second star on the shirt” his stated aim from day one, and his attacking strategy ensures he will not face the conservative accusations constantly directed at predecessor Southgate.
England’s defensive frailties remain a serious concern heading deeper into the tournament, but future opponents will have watched their attacking display with considerable trepidation as Tuchel’s side now prepare to face Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.
