Kane leads England to statement win over Croatia
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- Harry Kane scored twice to reach 10 World Cup goals, tying Gary Lineker's English record from the 1986 and 1990 tournaments, and became just the second Englishman — after David Beckham — to score in three World Cups.
- England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in a rematch of the 2018 semifinal, with Jude Bellingham scoring two minutes into the second half and Marcus Rashford adding a fourth in the 85th minute.
- Kane's first goal came on a retaken penalty after video review showed goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic with both feet off the goal line on the initial save; he sent his second attempt to the right post as Livakovic dove the wrong way.
- Croatia twice answered through Martin Baturina (36th minute) and Petar Musa (final play of the first half), with Musa — who plays for MLS's FC Dallas — finishing a header from Ivan Perisic past Jordan Pickford.
- Luka Modric, 40, extended his Croatian record by appearing in his fifth World Cup; the result snapped Croatia's six-game unbeaten streak in World Cup group stage matches dating back to 2014.
- Kane's second goal was a powerful header off a Declan Rice corner, and the 32-year-old Bayern Munich striker now has 81 international goals.
- England next face Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Tuesday in Group L; Croatia play Panama in Toronto the same day.
Why it matters: Kane, 32, now sits alongside Lineker atop England's all-time World Cup scoring list and has 81 international goals, reinforcing his status as England's talisman heading into a tournament where they are among the favorites. Bellingham's early second-half strike broke a 2-2 tie and triggered a decisive English burst — Livakovic made about a half-dozen saves in minutes — underscoring the depth that separates this England side from predecessors.
