As the dust starts to settle on England’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup, we take a look at what has been said since the final whistle of their 4-2 victory. From the amusing to the strange, to the brutally honest, managers, players, and pundits have had their say on the Three Lions’ victory in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday
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England 4-2 Croatia: What Has Been Said in The Aftermath of The Three Lions’ Victory
Thomas Tuchel Takes The Handbrake Off
Thomas Tuchel and his staff were obviously not happy with England’s performance in the first half. Despite scoring twice, they also conceded twice, showing signs of nerves against a good Croatia side. At halftime, Tuchel gave a team talk that breathed new life into his players. After the game, he told the media what he had said to the players.
“After halftime, we encouraged them to go for it. To play with more courage. To be brave. To be ourselves. I love the reaction, we created a lot of chances, we had a lot of ball wins, we scored goals. Overall, I think we deserve to win, but there are still things to improve.”
Harry Kane on Second Half Performance
Following Tuchel’s half-time talk, England looked more confident and threatened the Croatia goal time and time again. Captain Harry Kane spoke about the second half and gave praise to his teammates. He said: “We came out in the second half full gas, and they couldn’t live with it, and that’s the level we have to set in every game. The way we controlled the game once we went ahead, we never really looked like we were in danger, and then scored on the counterattack.
“We had a spell where we could have scored three or four. Credit to everyone: the first game of the tournament and a great result against a tough side.”
Kasper Schmeichel Takes a Dig at England
Despite the Three Lions’ victory, ex-Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel took a cheeky dig at England to remind them that, despite a good win, they have won nothing for a long time
“We’re in the Dallas Cowboys stadium. I liken England a little bit to the Dallas Cowboys – a massive, massive team with so much talent, but they won it once, and they’ve never stopped talking about it.”
Didi Hamann Critical of England Captain
Former Germany international Didi Hamann didn’t hold back on his comments regarding Harry Kane and believes he isn’t as good as others believe. He said: “Out of 10 (World Cup) goals, he’s got seven or eight in the group stage. He’s playing in his third World Cup now. He’s the captain, and he’s there to score goals in the knockout games.
“The jury’s out. I want to see him do it in the last 16 against France, in the last eight against Brazil. Whether he’s capable of doing it, we don’t know. He hasn’t done it so far.”
“In tournament football, you score on the counter-attack. He won’t score on the counter-attack. Because when you play against the best teams, sometimes you have to sit back and then go 50-60 yards to score a goal. If [Noni] Madueke takes off, if [Anthony] Gordon or [Marcus] Rashford take off, he won’t be able to keep up with him.
“I’m sitting on the fence for now. I’ve got my doubts about him. Whether he’s the player that’s taking England to the World Cup. At some stage in the tournament, you need pace, and he simply hasn’t got it.”
Roy Keane Impressed With How England Managed Luka Modric
Speaking after the game, former Manchester United and Ireland captain Roy Keane was impressed at how England’s players nullified the threat of Croatia’s main man, Luka Modric. He said: “In years gone past, England teams have stood off players like that and let them have one hundred passes – these lads didn’t do that today, to be fair to them.
“He’s 40 years of age, and England dominated the midfield, and that was a big part of them winning the game. I don’t think England paid Modric any respect in that sense.”
Gary Neville on Tuchel and the Second Half Performance
Former Manchester United and England right back Gary Neville was full of praise for England following Thomas Tuchel’s team talk that led to the Three Lions’ victory. He said: “He’s [Thomas Tuchel] given them an absolute rocket at half-time, hasn’t he?’ he said. ‘They’ve come out, and for 20 minutes in that second half, they were breathtaking.
“What I liked about it then is they had to sit off and play a bit deeper. He [Tuchel] makes the substitutions, and they have a big impact, and we go and get that fourth [goal]. It was a really good second half, and some of the stuff in the first 10 minutes was fantastic.”
The Three Lions’ victory over Croatia has put them in pole position to win the group, with Ghana and Panama to come for Thomas Tuchel’s team. If England can replicate their second-half performance in the next two games and beyond, they could go deep into the tournament.
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Featured image courtesy of Imago/NurPhoto
