England vs. Croatia Player Ratings: Man of the Match, Winners, and Disappointments

England impressed in their first match of the 2026 World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia.

by Emmanuel Mendez

Jun 18, 2026

Luka Modric #10 of Croatia is challenged by Harry Kane #9 of England during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium.

Richard Pelham/Getty Images

England started off its 2026 World Cup with an impressive win over Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17.

England beat Croatia 4-2 with goals from Harry Kane, who scored a brace, Jude Bellingham, and Marcus Rashford. Croatia's goal scorers were Martin Baturina and Petar Musa.

England took the lead in the 12th minute via a penalty kick goal from Harry Kane. Noni Madueke was fouled in the box by Luka Modric. Croatia's Dominik Livakovic initially saved the penalty, but the replays showed he did not have a foot on the goal line.

Kane placed the ball into the bottom right corner, where Livakovic saved the first penalty that did not count.

Harry Kane #9 of England celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match against Croatia at Dallas Stadium.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Croatia equalized in the 36th minute with an incredible goal from Martin Baturina, who placed the ball into the top corner. Kane would put England back in front with a header in the box from a corner kick.

Just before halftime, Croatia tied the game again after a headed pass from Ivan Perisic fell to Petar Musa in the box. The FC Dallas striker scored past Pickford to make it 2-2.

Early in the second half, Jude Bellingham would score England's third goal of the day from the right-hand side. Bellingham runs into the box and places the ball into the bottom corner across from Livakovic.

Late in the match, another mistake from Croatia led to another England goal as Bukayo Saka took the ball and found Marcus Rashford on the left, who cut inside and placed the ball in the bottom corner.

The winners of the match were the English duo, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. England forwards normally get criticized for not scoring enough goals for the national team, and Kane was a threat for most of the game.

Kane also has 10 World Cup goals in his career after his brace on Wednesday, now level with English legend Gary Lineker.

A special shoutout goes to Jude Bellingham, who not only scored a goal but also helped in the defensive parts of the game, especially when he was dropped deeper in the midfield when Morgan Rogers came on.

The disappointment was the defense for both teams, which may not matter for the neutral audience due to the number of goals. The score could have been higher if it weren't for Livakovic and Pickford.

Player Ratings for England and Croatia (1-10)

These postmatch player ratings from Athlon Sports are based on first-hand analysis while watching the match.

A one (1) is the worst possible score for a player who saw substantial minutes, while a 10 represents a stellar game-changing performance. A five (5) is average based on a player’s role and expected contributions.

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