The final score read England 4 Croatia 2 and for me it was impossible not to think of Gareth Southgate.
Can you name a single match in a tournament when Southgate was in charge, that gave half the levels of excitement and entertainment that Wednesday in the Dallas Stadium did?
The media repeatedly lectured fans that this was how it had to be for England to have any chance of success, accept that Gareth Southgate had to bore us to death match after match.
As an England fan, what I and the vast majority saw across the Southgate years, was a manager stumbling along with ultra negative tactics against a succession of poor to very average opposition teams. Grinding out generally low scoring wins and draws and then as soon as up against anybody decent, England and Gareth Southgate would lose. The then manager sticking to the same overly defensive tactics as though England were a plucky lower league club team that were incapable of trying to play enterprising attacking football.
Gareth Southgate was exceptionally lucky with the vast majority of opponents both in qualifying and in tournament groups, the same with then most of the knockout round matches.
Then back to the here and now.
Honestly, I had come to accept that watching England would never be exciting, would never be entertaining, that the actual match would never be something to really enjoy, just 90+ minutes to be endured in the hope of scraping a positive result.
Wednesday night (UK time) was class and I am really looking forward to Tuesday and the Ghana match, when was the last time you could honestly say you were looking forward to watching England.
It wasn’t perfect the performance, far from it. Croatia scored two very good goals from their point of view but badly defended from England’s point of view. None of the back four could complain if they were left out on Tuesday. Reece James surely one of the most overrated players England have ever had, O’Reilly doesn’t look like a defender, Stones looking like somebody who hasn’t played much football, Konsa probably the least worst but still not great.
The thing is though, it is a long time since England’s strength was in defence, the ultra negative Gareth Southgate tactics ensured not a lot of goals were conceded against a lot of poor to average teams, but what that meant was so little chance for England’s real strengths to be given a chance, the bit where they were supposed to try and go up the pitch and score goals. Instead those players asked to be extra defenders instead.
England could and should have scored seven or eight last night and at times the attacking play was edge of your seat stuff. If the finishing had been more clinical and the Croatia goal not leading such a charmed life at times, then England would have got the number of goals their attacking play deserved.
They often pressed high and put Croatia under pressure, England committed numbers forward and it was a revelation, England CAN win matches AND entertain and create loads of chances.
People used to say what a top talent Jude Bellingham was but I simply never ever saw that with England, apart from odd bit of skill or goal. Released from the Southgate shackles I thought he was phenomenal last night, what an exciting player who can make things happen and such athleticism.
Harry Kane was superb. Instead of isolated up front as used to be the case, he had teammates swarming forward and Kane alternated between trying to get on the end of these attacking plays, or dropping off and hitting some beautiful long passes forward to release other players utilising the space he helped create.
The whole team looked like they were enjoying this new attacking philosophy.
As I said earlier, of course there are things to be worked on and that need improving, especially at the back.
However, we have seen that England are set to be great to watch at this 2026 World Cup if Thomas Tuchel continues with this attacking plan and the players continue to react positively to it. This kind of play will also give England a great chance of now potentially winning against the better quality sides later in the knockout stages, not just all but accept defeat as Gareth Southgate did when up against a France or Spain.
Oh yes, just in case you aren’t aware, Harry Kane scored twice in the first half from a penalty (taken twice when the keeper moved off his line too early and saved the first one) and a bullet header from a corner. Baturina and Musa with the two equalisers.
Then a great move and a Bellingham run, saw England back in front two minutes after the break, then Rashford making sure of the England win with a goal on 85 minutes. I think maybe 6-1 would have been a fair reflection on the overall match but I’ll take the 4-2!
Final score: England 4 Croatia 2
England team vs Croatia:
Pickford; James, Stones, Konsa, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
The 2026 World Cup games schedule for Group L:
Wednesday 17 June
Croatia 2 England 4
Thursday 18 June
Ghana 1 Panama 0
Tuesday 23 June
Ghana v England 9pm BBC1
Wednesday 24 June
Croatia v Panama 12am BBC1
Saturday 27 June
Panama v England 10pm ITV1
Ghana v Croatia 10am ITV4