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<\/p>\n
Read More: Football’s Biggest Controversies: Maradona’s Hand of God Goal<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>: \u00a0\u201cWe came out in the second half full gas, and they couldn\u2019t live with it, and that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n “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.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the Three Lions’ victory, ex-Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel<\/a> took a cheeky dig at England to remind them that, despite a good win, they have won nothing for a long time<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in the Dallas Cowboys stadium. I liken England a little bit to the Dallas Cowboys \u2013 a massive, massive team with so much talent, but they won it once, and they\u2019ve never stopped talking about it.”<\/p>\n 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<\/a>: “Out of 10 (World Cup) goals, he\u2019s got seven or eight in the group stage. He\u2019s playing in his third World Cup now. He\u2019s the captain, and he\u2019s there to score goals in the knockout games.<\/p>\n “The jury\u2019s out. I want to see him do it in the last 16 against France, in the last eight against Brazil. Whether he\u2019s capable of doing it, we don\u2019t know. He hasn\u2019t done it so far.”<\/p>\n “In tournament football, you score on the counter-attack. He won\u2019t 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\u2019t be able to keep up with him. 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:<\/a> \u00a0“In years gone past, England teams have stood off players like that and let them have one hundred passes \u2013 these lads didn\u2019t do that today, to be fair to them.<\/p>\n “He\u2019s 40 years of age, and England dominated the midfield, and that was a big part of them winning the game. I don\u2019t think England paid Modric any respect in that sense.”<\/p>\n 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<\/a>: \u00a0“He\u2019s [Thomas Tuchel] given them an absolute rocket at half-time, hasn\u2019t he?\u2019 he said. \u2018They\u2019ve come out, and for 20 minutes in that second half, they were breathtaking.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\nEngland 4-2 Croatia: What Has Been Said in The Aftermath of The Three Lions\u2019 Victory<\/h2>\n
Thomas Tuchel Takes The Handbrake Off<\/h3>\n
Harry Kane on Second Half Performance<\/h3>\n
Kasper Schmeichel Takes a Dig at England<\/h3>\n
Didi Hamann Critical of England Captain<\/h3>\n
\n“I\u2019m sitting on the fence for now. I\u2019ve got my doubts about him. Whether he\u2019s the player that\u2019s taking England to the World Cup. At some stage in the tournament, you need pace, and he simply hasn\u2019t got it.”<\/p>\nRoy Keane Impressed With How England Managed Luka Modric<\/h3>\n
Gary Neville on Tuchel and the Second Half Performance<\/h3>\n