▲ Harry Kane, named 'Player of the Match'
The selfless play of striker Harry Kane (Munich), who led the "Three Lions" England to a resounding victory by scoring a brace in an eight-year World Cup rematch against "formidable opponent" Croatia, has deeply moved fans.
On June 18 (KST), England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their opening Group L match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium in Dallas, Texas, USA, powered by Kane's brace.
The victory marked several milestones for England.
First, it washed away the long-standing disappointment of England fans by avenging their 2-1 extra-time loss to Croatia in the semifinals of the 2018 Russia tournament eight years ago.
Additionally, England replicated a 4-2 scoreline on the World Cup stage for the first time in 60 years, since defeating West Germany 4-2 in the final to win the 1966 tournament.
Furthermore, England, ranked 4th in the FIFA world rankings, tasted the joy of defeating a top-15 FIFA-ranked team (Croatia is ranked 11th) at the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years.
Since defeating Argentina (then ranked 3rd) 1-0 in the 2002 tournament, England had gone winless in nine consecutive World Cup matches (2 draws, 7 losses) against teams ranked in the top 15, but they finally broke the jinx against Croatia.
England's triumph was sealed by the boots of "Captain" Kane.
Starting as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation and playing the full 90 minutes, Kane fully delivered on his duties as the Three Lions' captain, opening the scoring with a penalty kick in the 12th minute and adding a second with a brilliant header in the 42nd minute.
Kane's initial penalty attempt was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, but a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled that the goalkeeper's foot had moved off the goal line before the shot, granting him a retake.
Despite the potential blow to his confidence after the initial miss, Kane confidently fired the ball into the same direction as his first attempt to secure the goal.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the 42nd minute, he surged into the center of the penalty area during a right-corner kick taken by Declan Rice (Arsenal) and successfully headed the ball home, securing his brace.
With this, Kane recorded his 10th career World Cup goal across his three tournament appearances (6 goals in 2018, 2 goals in 2022, and 2 goals so far in 2026), tying Gary Lineker (6 goals in 1986, 4 goals in 1990) for the most World Cup goals by an English player in history.
Notably, Kane scored five of his ten goals from penalty kicks, making him the sole leader for the most penalty kick goals in World Cup history.
In addition, Kane became only the second English player in history, after David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006), to score in three consecutive World Cup tournaments.
Kane's contribution was not limited to his role as a lone striker.
Despite playing up front, he frequently dropped deep into the midfield to link up play, effectively acting as a "false nine."
Around first-half stoppage time, Kane dropped deep into his own half to receive the ball before passing to Noni Madueke (Arsenal) on the right flank, earning a corner kick and demonstrating his relentless movement across the pitch.
In the dying minutes of second-half stoppage time, with a 4-2 victory all but secured, Kane made a surprise defensive contribution to prevent a late goal.
He showed immense dedication by throwing his body on the line to block a powerful shot from Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol (Man City) from the left side of the box right in front of the goal.
Ultimately, Kane was delighted to be named the "Player of the Match."
"The first and second halves were completely different games. The first half was fine, but conceding was disappointing, and our performance seemed to drop a bit after that," Kane said. "But the victory is thanks to the manager. At halftime, he told us, 'Even if we lose, let's lose our way,' and that message was reflected in the players' performance in the second half."
He added, "Our strength is maintaining our pressing intensity. I want to credit all the players for this victory."
(Photo: Captured from FIFA website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.