England beat Croatia 4-2 in World Cup warm-up in Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas — England opened its World Cup preparation with a 4-2 win over Croatia, with captain Harry Kane scoring twice in the first half at the 70,000-seat venue in Arlington. Manager Thomas Tuchel's side built a two-goal advantage before Croatia fought back through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to level at 2-2 by halftime. Jude Bellingham restored England's lead shortly after the break, and substitute Marcus Rashford, introduced in the final five minutes, completed the scoring to secure the three points in the Group opener. Both defenses were exposed throughout a high-tempo match played in front of a capacity crowd. Speaking after the game, Kane said the performance had unfolded in two distinct halves and was critical of his team's first-half showing. He credited Tuchel's halftime adjustments with steadying the players and turning the match England's way.