Croatia fall 4–2 to England in Group L opener

England hit four, Croatia left with work to do

Not the start anyone wanted. Croatia lost 4–2 to England in the Group L opener in Dallas on Wednesday, and the gap felt real (1) (3). England's bench ran deep, Morgan Rogers and Djed Spence came on and changed the game (5). Goals from Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jude Bellingham put four past your team (1) (8). Nikola Vlasic and Josip Sutalo scored Croatia's goals (1). Josko Gvardiol and Josip Stanisic started in a backline that could not contain England's late surge (1). Thomas Tuchel singled out Kane's commitment in extra time as the defining image of the night (1).

Bellingham silences the noise, then speaks

Jude Bellingham scored the winner and did not hide his feelings afterwards. "Personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us try to win games," he said (8). The England midfielder arrived at this World Cup carrying criticism. His response came on the pitch.

Rice injury scare, but he expects to be fine

Declan Rice was subbed off as a precaution with back pain, the same issue he managed through the second half of the season with Arsenal (9) (10). "All fine, as good as gold," Rice said. "But it's all good, just precautionary" (9). He is expected to be fit for England's next match against Ghana (11).

PL clubs circle for Croatia's goalscorer

One of the Croatian players who scored against England is now attracting serious Premier League interest. Manchester United and Aston Villa are both tracking the Como forward, with Como already rejecting a £43.4m offer (2). A strong World Cup is doing exactly what you would expect for his transfer value.

Fan reactions

England supporters are still buzzing. The "Hey Jude" serenade after Bellingham's performance made the rounds, with Real Madrid fans on Reddit sharing the standing ovation clip and calling it a special moment link.