England captain Harry Kane scored two goals as England saw off two Croatia comebacks in a thrilling game in Dallas on day six of the World Cup.
The Bayern Munich forward, who scored 58 goals in all competitions in what was a stellar season for his club side, hit a re-taken penalty and powered in a header. Goals from Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford completed the England scoring.
Croatia had twice pulled England back through efforts from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa.
England win, but defensive frailties remain
This is the first major tournament under the guidance of ex-Chelsea and PSG manager Thomas Tuchel, who has faced blowback over his squad selection for this World Cup. Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, and Morgan Gibbs-White were among a cohort of big names left at home ahead of the tournament in the USA, but the German coach can enjoy a job well done after an impressive second half.
Tuchel has been appointed with the goal of winning the World Cup for a country without notable silverware since 1966. But he will also be aware of the firestorm of criticism his predecessor, Gareth Southgate, received for playing what many perceived to be negative football. Many of those same questions have been answered, at least for now, about Tuchel’s England team.
However, concerns remain over the team’s defensive discipline. England never looked comfortable at the back, with Jordan Pickford opting to punch, instead of catch, many dangerous crosses. Passing out from the back also appeared to be an issue, at times, while there were spaces to exploit in midfield with too many gaps appearing between Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Thuchel admitted there was much to work on:. He said: “I think the first half was a bit complicated for us. I felt we were a bit nervy, and in our decisions, we basically chose to play it safe and played too many balls backwards. We struggled to find our rhythm and didn’t have the confidence to play through the gaps with short passes or to switch play.
“I just saw a statistic: we won 33 percent of ground duels in the first half compared to 73 percent in the second, so even off the ball, they could feel we weren’t brave or committed enough together. I loved the players’ reaction in the second half – it was excellent.
Star-studded Portugal slip to 1-1 draw with DR Congo
Elsewhere, Portugal opened its World Cup campaign with a frustrating 1-1 draw against DR Congo, who produced a disciplined performance to earn a point in their tournament debut under the country’s current name.
Joao Neves gave Portugal an early advantage, heading home from a Pedro Neto cross in the sixth minute. Despite dominating possession for much of the first half, Roberto Martinez’s side struggled to create meaningful chances.
DR Congo capitalized on that lack of cutting edge just before halftime. Yoane Wissa rose unmarked to head in Arthur Masuaku’s cross in stoppage time, scoring his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal and sending the teams into the break level.
The Africans, ranked 46th in the world, continued to threaten after the restart. Cedric Bakambu struck the post from close range and later fired another opportunity wide as DR Congo showed they were more than capable of troubling one of Europe’s leading sides.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo made his sixth World Cup appearance, matching Lionel Messi’s tournament record, but could not find a breakthrough. The 41-year-old missed two second-half chances and saw Portugal finish with just four shots, only one of them on target, as the 2016 European champions were forced to settle for a draw.
Uzbekistan show fight in defeat to Columbia
In a World Cup teeming with shock results, there was almost another one to close out day six. Colombia marked their return to the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, moving to the top of Group K, but not before an almighty scare. Daniel Munoz opened the scoring with an acrobatic volley from a Luis Diaz pass after the Bayern Munich forward had earlier struck the post.
Uzbekistan, coached by World Cup-winning Italian Fabio Cannavaro, equalized through Abbosbek Fayzullaev’s close-range header shortly after the hour mark. Colombia responded quickly, however, as Diaz restored the lead with his first World Cup goal despite goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov getting both hands to the shot.
The Central Asians threatened another comeback, with Akmal Mozgovoy narrowly missing late on and Jakhongir Urozov hitting the crossbar. But substitute Jaminton Campaz sealed the result with a late header, ensuring Colombia collected all three points.
Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in the day’s other game.
