Match Summary · England · World Cup 2026 · Football · International · World Cup · England · Croatia · Luka Modric · Harry Kane · Martin Baturina
| Metric | England | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54% | 46% |
| Shots | 20 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 12 | 5 |
| Shots off target | 3 | 3 |
| Corners | 8 | 2 |
| Fouls | 10 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 3 | 7 |
The match swung early when VAR awarded England a penalty at 10', with Luka Modric the player involved in the incident, and Kane converted at 11' for 1-0. Croatia settled and levelled through Martin Baturina at 35', set up by Petar Sucic, before Kane restored England’s lead at 41' after Declan Rice’s assist.
Croatia had the last word of the half, Ivan Perisic supplying the pass for Musa to finish on 45' and send the sides in level. England’s response was immediate: Bellingham struck at 46', assisted by Elliot Anderson, to put the hosts back in front.
Zlatko Dalic turned to his bench - Mateo Kovacic replaced Modric on 57' - but England stayed on top and made it safe late on, Rashford finishing at 84'48'' after Saka’s delivery. The stats underlined the story: England led corners 8-2 and outshot Croatia 20-11 (on target 12-6) in a lively highlights-packed summary.