Three Lions roar! – England announce presence at World Cup 2026 with emphatic win over Croatia

Over the last ten years, England has made progress in big football tournaments and is now under Thomas Tuchel are expected to be among the favourites in this year’s World Cup.

England has started its campaign well with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, who knocked out the Three Lions in World Cup 2018 at the semi-final stage.

Skipper Harry Kane got a brace yesterday, and the forward line looked impressive. However, England did look vulnerable in defence and are missing Kyle Walker.

When Harry Kane opened the scoring with a penalty, it was assumed England has this. Croatia is a good side and can never be discounted.  It beat England in 2018 and beat Brazil in Qatar 2022. Luka Modric, now 40 and Ivan Perisic at 37  are still able to make meaningful contributions and hurt teams.

Kane must not drop too deep. Against Croatia, he was picking up balls between centre backs. He is a top striker and should make the box his domain. 

Croatia hit back not once but twice, levelling the game at half-time. Tuchel must have had one hell of a half-time team talk because England turned it on in the second half with Jude Belingham scoring in the 47th minute. From then on, Croatia was on the back foot. Declan Rice put in an assured performance and both he and Elliot Anderson make a good pairing in the middle of the park. 

Tuchel is able to rotate players from a strong squad that allows him to dictate the tempo of games. That was seen when he brought on Saka and Rashford. 

Rashford had an immediate impact, getting that important fourth goal to seal the game. There was a time when England would have sat back and been content to see out a 3-2 victory.

Bellingham played well and can make his mark in this World Cup. Thomas Tuchel has to unleash him  and allow his enthusiasm to aid the team. 

The first week of this World Cup has been brilliant. The gap between the world’s highly regarded teams and the so-called  “minnows” is closing. Teams are playing with greater pace and verve, pressing forward.

The top strikers are showing their worth. Messi, Kane, Mbappe, Haaland all demonstrating why they are box office draws.  Ronaldo failed to impress against Congo and will have to justify his place in the team as Portugal progresses in this World Cup.

England can take heart from this performance and must look to top their group, booking their place to the knockout stage. It’s way too early to see the Three Lions as contenders. Under Tuchel’s guidance, the team has to take it game by game, getting better with each challenge. England must look not to concede goals and must avoid placing too much reliance on its front line.

The first game in a World Cup campaign can be a nervy affair; however, England got over that with a good result against a good team. The way England suffocated Croatia in the second half is the way forward.

Ghana is up next at Foxborough Stadium in Boston. Let’s see if it is English lions that roar and nort African ones.

So what does Thomas Tuchel expect from his team? 

“I want them to be brave, courageous, intense and on the front foot. They must do that together and just go for it. Be active. I encourage them with words, and that was the main message at half-time. We trust them, and there is nothing to fear. We are going to go for the win,” he said at a press conference after the game against Croatia. 

Garath Southgate’s pragmatism took England deep into tournaments. Can Tuchel’s entertaining brand of front-foot football win England trophies?