World Cup Story Feed
World Cup Story Feed
June 17, AT&T Stadium in Dallas. In the 12th minute, Kane scored a penalty kick, 1 0. The script was written for a strong start. In the 36th minute, Baturina equalized. In the 42nd minute, Kane headed the ball to take the lead again. In the 5th minute of stoppage time, Musa locked the score at 2 2. Four score changes in 45 minutes. England led twice, only to be leveled twice. They couldn't hold onto a one goal advantage.
On June 17, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. In the 12th minute, Kane scored a penalty, 1-0. The script started with an opening win. In the 36th minute, Baturina equalized, and in the 42nd minute, Kane headed in to retake the lead. In the 5th minute of stoppage time, Musa made it 2-2. Four score changes in 45 minutes. England led twice, got pegged back twice. Couldn't hold on to a one-goal advantage.
Final whistle, 4-2. Bellingham scored two minutes into the second half to make it 3-2, and Rashford sealed it in the 85th minute. The scoreboard looked good, but that first half of 45 minutes didn't lie. Scored two goals but went back to the dressing room with a draw. Tuchel admitted after the match that their duels win rate in the first half was only 33%. Won only one out of every three physical contests. That number was more jarring than any tactical review.
The half-time dressing room became the birthplace of a myth.
Kane relayed into the microphone: "He told us to let loose, calm down, and go for it full throttle. He said, what's the worst that can happen? Show the world who we are." In another interview, he gave all the credit to the coach: "Look, if we're going to lose, we'll lose our way." Bellingham praised him, Rice praised him too. Gary Neville took over on the ITV studio set, saying Tuchel "gave them a rocket" at halftime, using "absolute rocket," the heaviest term in British football circles.
Roy Keane sat next to him and let out a cold laugh. "Is the reaction to his half-time talk a bit over the top?" Keane said. "That's what he's supposed to do, isn't it?"
The same fifteen minutes. The players called it a spiritual liberation, Neville shouted "absolute rocket," and Keane poked it back down to basic coaching duties. English players probably haven't been managed by a coach who dares to yell in so long that when someone turns up the volume, they're overflowing with gratitude.
Tuchel's tension was all exposed on the sideline.
The sideline microphone caught him shouting at Spence. Spence got the ball and passed it back, and Tuchel's voice blasted straight into the broadcast: "Djed! One-on-one! Pass forward!" In a training session, he had shouted a different line at the same lad: "Djed, Djed, Djed, wake up! Wake up!" The video went viral, and Spence later brushed it off, saying "that's normal."
At the pre-match press conference, he urged parents to write notes for schools, letting their kids stay up to watch England vs. Mexico kicking off at 1 a.m. Saying it to the camera, he seemed humorous. In an interview, he compared himself to a "famous conductor," saying he "doesn't want to interfere with the musicians." A symphony conductor wouldn't shout "wake up" at a violinist.
In the qualifiers, seven wins out of seven, zero goals conceded, twenty goals scored. The numbers were enough to silence the critics. But Tuchel on the sideline had no relaxed air of a man winning without worry. He looked like a temp worker terrified of getting fired, every backpass triggering a stress reaction. Even after winning, he had to prove he could win.
In the 72nd minute, three substitutions at once. Rashford came on for Gordon, Saka for Madueke, and Morgan Rogers for Rice. Neville called it "courage," saying "few coaches would take that risk when trying to protect a lead." England was leading 3-2 at the time. Needing "bold" substitutions to sustain a lead turned the lead itself into a joke.
Rashford scored the fourth goal 13 minutes after coming on. It was his second goal in 13 England matches under Tuchel. Sat on the bench for 72 minutes, then released to harvest. Tuchel had every player's usage carefully calculated.
Rice's substitution scene was less composed. He limped off the pitch. Tuchel said after the match, "hoping the injury isn't serious," and Rice himself said, "it's fine." A player who had been managing hamstring pain for months was subbed off in the 72nd minute of a World Cup debut. "It's fine" didn't close the case.
Final xG: England 3.20, Croatia 0.70. Shots 22 to 10, shots on target 11 to 5, touches in the opponent's box 37 to 16. The second half was a half-pitch drill, England pinned Croatia in their own half for 45 minutes. The other side of the numbers: in the first 45 minutes, none of this happened.
England's overall record against Croatia: 12 matches, 7 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses. In the 2018 World Cup semi-final, Croatia knocked them out 2-1, an old score dragged up as spice for a revenge narrative. Once the revenge story was told, it was over. The next opponent wasn't the enemy from eight years ago, and the warmth of the half-time talk wouldn't last 90 minutes.
World Cup debut 4-2, everything that needed to be on the record was recorded.
The image of Rice limping off, and Tuchel's hoarse voice yelling from the sideline, froze together in the same Dallas night.
BBC Sport, England 4-2 Croatia match report, https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/live/cp36z3qpzrxt
The Guardian, Harry Kane reveals half-time Tuchel pep-talk inspired England, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/18/harry-kane-england-croatia-inspired-thomas-tuchel-speech
Sky Sports, England 4-2 Croatia: Thomas Tuchel's team-talk (Neville "absolute rocket" comment), https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13555102/england-4-2-croatia-thomas-tuchels-team-talk-reveals-the-template-for-world-cup-glory-must-be-the-full-gas-approach
Metro, Roy Keane hits out at Thomas Tuchel 'overreaction', https://metro.co.uk/2026/06/21/roy-keane-hits-thomas-tuchel-overreaction-england-beat-croatia-28868811/
The Sun, Thomas Tuchel berates Djed Spence (sideline shouting report), https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/39621134/thomas-tuchel-berates-djed-spence-england-world-cup/
Mirror, Thomas Tuchel rips at England star AGAIN (sideline mic incident), https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/thomas-tuchel-rips-england-star-37376588
Reuters, Spence unconcerned by Tuchel shouting (Spence's response), https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/spence-unconcerned-by-tuchel-shouting-says-england-boss-demands-high-standards-2026-06-22/
Sky Sports, Tuchel on giving attackers freedom ("famous conductor" quote), https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13556912/world-cup-2026-england-boss-thomas-tuchel-on-how-he-has-given-his-attackers-freedom-on-the-pitch
BBC Sport, Tuchel urges parents to let kids stay up for England game, https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cd95g9y8k24o
ITV News, Should children be able to skip school for the England-Mexico match, https://www.itv.com/watch/news/should-children-be-able-to-skip-school-for-the-england-mexico-match/fshzwk0
Independent, Thomas Tuchel provides Declan Rice injury update, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/declan-rice-injury-update-thomas-tuchel-england-croatia-b2998011.html
Opta Analyst, England 4-2 Croatia Stats (xG and shot data), https://theanalyst.com/articles/england-vs-croatia-stats-world-cup-2026
ESPN UK, England 4-2 Croatia Final Score (match data), https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/760437/croatia-england