FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
England have started their 2026 World Cup adventure with a victory, triumphing 4-2 over Croatia in an exciting clash held in Texas.
Thomas Tuchel's team came into the match strongly and immediately put pressure on their opponents. In the 9th minute, Luka Modric was awarded a penalty after a foul on Noni Madueke inside the area. French referee Clement Terpin awarded the penalty without hesitation.
Harry Kane was initially saved by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but the penalty was retaken after the Croatian keeper moved in front of the goal line. On his second attempt, the England captain made no mistake and gave his team the lead.
Croatia responded in the 36th minute when Martin Baturina equalised with a beautiful shot from outside the area, after an assist from Petar Susic. However, the Croatian advantage was short-lived, as Kane scored his second personal goal in the 42nd minute with a header from a Declan Rice corner.
When it seemed that the first half would end with England in the lead, the Croatians restored the balance again. In extra time, Ivan Perisic served for Petar Musa, who beat Jordan Pickford to make the score 2-2.
The second half started perfectly for the English. Just a few minutes after the restart, Jude Beingham took advantage of an assist from Eliot Anderson and scored for 3-2 with a powerful shot inside the area.
England continued to dominate the game and created several clear scoring chances with Rice, O'Reilly, Gordon and Kane, but Livakovic was in excellent form, keeping Croatia in the game with several crucial saves.
In the 76th minute, Mario Pasalic came close to equalising, but Jordan Pickford made a superb save. Eight minutes later, the English sealed the victory. Two second-half substitutes combined perfectly, with Bukayo Saka providing the assist for Marcus Rashford, who scored the fourth goal.
In extra time, Josko Guardiola came close to scoring a third goal for Croatia, but Harry Kane made a decisive save to keep his team ahead.
In the end, England secured a crucial 4-2 victory and started their journey in Group L of the 2026 World Cup with three points. The next group match, between Ghana and Panama, will take place after midnight.
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