Sometimes, redemption stories in the World Cup happen in four-year cycles. Diego Maradona in 1986, Ronaldo in 2002, to a lesser extent even David Beckham in Korea and Japan and, Harry Kane in Dallas on Wednesday.
Of course, it had to be a penalty. Kane stuttered in his run-up and Dominik Livakovic guessed right to keep it out. Unlike against France in the quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium when he had blazed over a chance to put England ahead, VAR gave Kane another go. No mistake this time, no stutter either, and 12 minutes in, Kane became the first player from England to score more than once in three World Cup games.
There was nothing lucky about Kane’s second which came from a powerful header following Declan Rice’s corner-kick. Speaking to HT on this game, former Croatia international Igor Stimac said Kane needed to reined in by central midfielders and by those in inner defence. Stimac, also a former India coach, had spoken of Kane’s ability to inflict damage from pretty much any situation in the front third. It would be small consolation that he was right on both counts.
Given this was a set-piece, it was expected that Croatia’s back three would be inside the penalty box but where was the marking? No one picked up Kane as he stayed back and then ran to meet the delivery with a powerful header in the 42nd minute for his 10th World Cup goal. Only Gary Lineker has scored as many for England.
Kane’s second came not long after Martin Baturina’s equaliser after combining with Petar Susic, the two players on whom Croatia have high hopes as replacements for Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic. Kovacic did not start; Modric did, 20 years after he had first played against England, for the 200th time in a Croatia shirt. He left after an anonymous 58 minutes in which he had conceded the penalty with a high boot on Noni Madueke.
Susic jinked past John Stones after Croatia won the ball from Jude Bellingham and no one tailed Baturina who was following up, his screamer from range making it 1-1 in the 36th. But well, Kane had done it again and half-time beckoned. Who knew there would be so much drama in the final 10 minutes of the first 45?
England’s lead was short-lived. Rather, some poor defending from Thomas Tuchel’s men made it so. Josip Sutalo lobbed over the defence and Ivan Perisic was afforded time to head it square for Petar Musa who was left unmarked and shot past Jordan Pickford. Perisic’s header square was reminiscent of how Tim Borowski had found Mirolsav Klose for Germany’s equaliser in the 2006 quarter-final against Argentina, this finish was not.
Stoppage-time goals, Musa’s came in 45+5, have a way of messing up coach’s half-time talk. Assistant-coach Antony Barry was scathing in his half-time interview about the defence and more but Tuchel must have got the right words in. For England emerged with greater purpose. You would have thought Croatia would too but football has more than one way of surprising people.
Bellingham ran the length of the Croatia half after Elliot Anderson found him, kept himself between the ball and a Croatia defender, who didn’t want to concede another penalty, and made it 3-2 in the 47th minute.
It needed every bit of Livakovic to keep it that way in the frenetic 10 minutes that followed. He produced a double save off Kane and one to deny Nico O’Reilly first and then Anthony Gordon. O’Reilly headed out a Rice corner-kick and Rice tested the goalie who saved three penalties in the shootout against Japan in 2022 and one against Brazil. On Wednesday, Livakovic made seven saves.
Unable to kill the game in that phase, England absorbed a Mario Pasalic attempt and hit through Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute, the wide left making the most of Bukayo Saka cutting in to find him before shifting to his right foot and curling a shot past Livakovic.
Substitutes combining for a goal that settled a match was proof of England’s strength in depth. Not many teams will have someone of the calibre of Saka replacing Madueke and March Guehi running out in the 86th minute. The defence will need to be tightening but easily taming down a team ranked 11th in the world would qualify as a good start.
That Saka, Rashford and Bellingham had goal contributions is proof of continuity as they had done that against Iran in 2022. Kane didn’t score in that game but coming off a season where he found the net 61 times for club and country, he would have been expected to against Croatia. A block to deny Josko Gvardiol in second-half stoppage time made it a good night for the England captain.
“See the commitment of our captain, our No. 9,” AP quoted Tuchel as saying. “Complete performance, absolute leader and he’s all in. He’s all in physically, he’s all in mentally… He’s the full package. He wants it, and he leads by example.”
