Captain Harry Kane credited Thomas Tuchel for delivering a half-time team speech that lifted England to a 4-2 win over Croatia and launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup title bid on Wednesday.
Kane scored twice in the first half of a chaotic encounter in Texas, once a retaken penalty, only for 2018 runners-up Croatia to fight back to make it 2-2 at half-time.
England started the second half with a bang, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham galloping down the wing before tapping the ball into the bottom corner.
England were one of the favorites to win the tournament in North America and then created numerous chances through Kane, Bellingham and Nico O’Reilly before substitute Marcus Rashford grabbed the three points.
The win saw England at their attacking best, but they were weak at the back, especially in the first half.
When asked how things had gone after half-time, Kane said of coach Tuchel: “He gave a great speech to be honest, especially the way we conceded that second goal just before half-time.
«He just told us to let go of the shackles, to be calm, what are we afraid of? Let’s just go.»
“The way we conceded that second goal is not the team we want to be, dropping deep, waiting and still conceding.
«He just said, what’s the worst that can happen? We lose a game, the first group game, we get on with it, we move on, let’s just go and show the world who we can be.»
“And I think we did exactly that second half.”
German Tuchel, tasked with taking England to their first major trophy since 1966, said he felt his side were nervous and passive in the first half.
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Tuchel called the first 45 minutes “complicated”.
“I felt a little nervous,” he said ITV. “The decisions we made were basically: we chose to play it safe and play too many balls backwards.
“We struggled to find the rhythm, didn’t have the confidence to go through the gaps and find the rhythm in a few short passes and then the change of play.”
Tuchel was much happier after the break as England ultimately emerged as fairly comfortable winners.
“I like the reaction of the players in the second half, the second half was excellent,” he said.
“We deserved to win, but it was emotional, there were a lot of emotions involved and it took us a while to get going, but we did get going, and that’s positive.”
Published on June 18, 2026
