Today's Edition
LOS ANGELES (AFP)
England launched their World Cup bid with a rollercoaster 4-2 win against Croatia in the early hours of Thursday in an enthralling Group L game, while Ghana snatched a 1-0 victory over Panama with an injury-time winner in Toronto to join England on three points.
The England-Croatia match, held at the Texas home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, saw Harry Kane score twice. Goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford made the game safe as England began their bid to end a 60-year wait for a major trophy.
Kane got the ball rolling by slotting home a penalty at the second attempt after the referee allowed him to re-take it when Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic was adjudged to have been off his line.
Croatia fought back and Martin Baturina brought them level after 36 minutes before unmarked Kane equalled Gary Lineker's England record of 10 World Cup goals with a thumping header.
But the English defensive frailties were on show when Petar Musa equalised for Croatia in first-half stoppage time.
Only in the second half did England impose their will. Bellingham scored a classy goal after outrunning his defender before substitute Rashford took his time before slotting the ball into the net on 85 minutes.
Kane revealed that England's German coach Thomas Tuchel had addressed the players at half-time.
"The manager gave us a speech at half-time just to say, look, if we lose, we lose. We're losing our way," Kane said.
"And I think you saw that, the way we come out in the second half. We went full gas. And they couldn't live with it."
In the other Group L game on Thursday, an attritional battle looked to be destined to finish in a goalless draw between Ghana and Panama until Caleb Yirenkyi bundled in the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time for the Black Stars.
Ghana reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup but have been eliminated in the group stage at their two most recent appearances in the tournament in 2022 and 2014.
The African side will play England in their second Group L game in Boston on June 23.
