Soccer
England vs. Croatia player ratings: Who reigned supreme as Three Lions celebrate opening victory?
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England twice surrendered leads before pulling away to beat Croatia 4–2 in a dramatic World Cup opener at AT&T Stadium.
Harry Kane's brace—including a retaken penalty—took his tournament tally to 10 goals, while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford struck after half-time to settle a contest that stood at 2–2 at the interval.
Croatia's Martin Baturina and Petar Musa had both equalised, but Dominik Livakovic's heroics could not prevent a decisive second-half collapse.
DAZN News rates each set of players and our player of the match:
England vs. Croatia Player of the Match
Harry Kane (England)
The England captain delivered a defining performance with two goals in a match where his side twice needed to respond. His penalty at 12 minutes—converted on the retake after VAR detected goalkeeper encroachment—opened the scoring, and his unmarked header from Declan Rice's corner at 42 minutes ultimately proved the winner. Kane continued threatening throughout the second half, forcing three consecutive saves from Dominik Livakovic around the 57th minute. His brace took him to 10 World Cup goals, drawing level with Gary Lineker in England's all-time tournament scoring charts.
England vs. Croatia Player Ratings
England
Jordan Pickford (7.2): Denied Gvardiol, Kovacic, Pašalić, and Matanovic in busy second half.
Ezri Konsa (6.8): Steady in buildup; part of defence that stabilised after the break.
Nico O'Reilly (6.7): Headed wide from close range at 49'; end product lacking.
John Stones (6.7): Grew more comfortable in possession; replaced late with result secured.
Reece James (7.0): Contributed crosses and forward runs; effective on the right flank.
Declan Rice (7.4): Assisted Kane's header with excellent corner; shot saved brilliantly by Livakovic.
Elliot Anderson (7.6): Excellent throughout; pass set up Bellingham for decisive third goal.
Jude Bellingham (7.7): Scored crucial 47th-minute goal; turnover earlier led to Baturina's equaliser.
Anthony Gordon (6.3): Limited involvement; follow-up shot saved in double-chance sequence at 56'.
Noni Madueke (7.1): Won penalty; pace caused problems before making way for Saka.
Harry Kane (8.8): Brace took World Cup tally to 10; persistent threat throughout.
Morgan Rogers (6.4): Helped maintain possession and shape after 72nd-minute introduction.
Marcus Rashford (7.5): Immediate impact; cut inside and curled home decisive fourth goal.
Bukayo Saka (7.3): Provided assist for Rashford's goal; added fresh attacking dimension late.
Djed Spence (6.2): Provided defensive solidity on right flank in closing stages.
Marc Guéhi (6.0): Late introduction with result secured; minimal time to influence match.
Croatia
Dominik Livakovic (7.0): Saved initial penalty and denied Kane three times; still conceded four.
Joško Gvardiol (6.8): Comfortable on ball; header at 90+5' saved excellently by Pickford.
Luka Vuskovic (5.8): Poor reading of play for Bellingham's goal; inexperience showed throughout.
Josip Sutalo (6.5): Headed early corner over the bar; contributed to buildup throughout.
Josip Stanisic (6.0): Struggled on the ball; lost possession multiple times in difficult afternoon.
Ivan Perišić (7.2): Assisted Musa's equaliser; delivered corners and crosses consistently throughout.
Petar Sučić (7.1): Provided assist for Baturina's goal; composed in midfield throughout.
Luka Modrić (5.5): Conceded penalty with foul on Madueke; limited impact before 58' exit.
Mario Pašalić (6.3): Shot from distance went wide; steady but unremarkable before substitution.
Martin Baturina (7.5): Composed finish for equaliser at 36'; Croatia's brightest talent on display.
Petar Musa (7.4): Well-taken goal in stoppage time; good movement before 66' exit.
Mateo Kovacic (6.7): Brought energy after replacing Modrić; shot saved by Pickford at 84'.
Igor Matanovic (6.5): Offered hold-up play and aerial presence; shot from distance lacked power.
Marco Pašalić (6.8): Immediate impact off bench; shot saved as Croatia pushed forward.
Nikola Vlašić (6.2): Limited opportunities to influence proceedings after 78th-minute introduction.
Andrej Kramaric (6.2): Unable to find equaliser; clear chances proved elusive in closing stages.
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