So, England get the job done in Dallas. A couple of goals for Harry Kane in the first half set the tone, before Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford added one each in the second half to seal it. Croatia did peg England back twice in the early going with goals from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa, but it was mostly one-way traffic in the second half after Bellingham struck England's third. It was a busy night for both goalkeepers, with plenty of spectacular saves from Livakovic and Pickford keeping the fans on the edge of their seats.

90 4' Blocked by Kane! The England captain puts his body on the line to deny Gvardiol from close range! It is fair to say that Kane has firmly secured his Man of the Match award today. Two goals at one end, and a decisive, match-winning block at the other!

86' GOAL! Rashford drives the final nail into the coffin! England increase their lead to 4-2! It's a brilliant assist from Bukayo Saka, celebrating a massive milestone cap for England. Saka gets his head up and picks out Rashford in acres of space on the left flank. Rashford calmly sits the defender down before firing a ruthless effort into the bottom-right corner!

85' Spence replaces Bellingham, whose brilliant goal as of now has England in contention for all three points. Croatia also make two more changes as Vlasic and Kramaric enter the fray, replacing Pasalic and Baturina. A final roll of the dice from Zlatko Dalic!

76' SAVED BY PICKFORD! A massive stop to deny Pasalic! The former Chelsea man cuts in from the right and unleashes a fierce, left-footed drive, but England's number one reacts sharply to push it to safety and protect the lead!

Almost a horror moment for Croatia! Rashford latches onto a loose pass from Matanovic, but Livakovic races out just in time to avert the danger. The substitute almost shot himself in the foot there. Livakovic to the rescue once again!

72' It's time for the second hydration break of the match. Rogers, Saka, and Rashford are getting ready to come on for England, with Gordon, Rice, and Madueke likely to make way for them. A massive triple-change confirmed!

Apologies for missing! Kovacic has come on for Modric as Croatia ring the changes. They have now made a couple more substitutions, with Pasalic and Matanovic replacing Musa and Vuskovic. Still no changes from Thomas Tuchel and England so far.

55' A fine double save from Livakovic to deny England a fourth! He saves O'Reilly's initial header before showing great awareness to block Gordon's rebound. Livakovic is single-handedly keeping Croatia in this contest. Some massive saves!

46' What a goal! Bellingham restores England's lead! He makes a brilliant solo run down the right, drives into the penalty area, and unleashes a fierce low shot past Livakovic into the bottom-left corner!

The players are out in the middle for the second half. England had a superior xG of 1.36 to Croatia's 0.43. Tuchel must be fuming at the half-time team talk. 

Meanwhile, we are back underway at the Dallas Stadium. No changes from either teams.

45 5' Croatia hit back again! It's Petar Musa this time! The Dallas FC man makes it 2-2 in first-half stoppage time. Great lofted pass to Perisic. It was a lovely cushioned header by Perisic into the path of Musa, who expertly guided home. It's half-time in Dallas!

42' GOAL! Harry Kane puts England back in front with a well-placed header from a corner! Rice whips in an outswinger and Kane runs from deep to meet it, placing it cleanly into the bottom left corner. With that goal, Kane has now equalled Gary Lineker's all-time record of 10 World Cup goals for England!

36' GOAL! Baturina gets the equaliser for Croatia with a powerful shot from outside the box! Sucic fakes his attempt, leaving Stones on the floor, and rolls the ball into the path of Baturina. He side-foots it cleanly into the top corner-Pickford did get something on it, but the sheer pace took it away from him! Croatia are back on level terms!

31' Bellingham starts the move with a cheeky turn and a pass to Kane, who then rolls it down the right to Madueke. He sprays a low cross inside the box which causes all sorts of problems for Croatia. Bellingham makes a late run but is unable to get a touch to it. There's a half-hearted shout for a penalty.

27' Vuskovic robs Kane after a poor touch from the England captain. The Tottenham defender drives foraward, but he can't take advantage and ultimately ends up giving away a cheap free-kick. 

25' Here we are then, the first hydration break of the match. England have dominated the ball and deservedly lead as we hit the first tactical stoppage.

17' Blocked! Another chance for England! Kane releases Madueke down the right. It results in a corner. Rice's delivery finds Henderson on the edge of the box, but his shot is blocked by Vuskovic.

11' Kane beats Livakovic this time. England take the lead after VAR drama in Dallas. Huge relief for Kane and England. Croatia on the backfoot!

8' Penalty for England! Modric catches Madueke with an high foot and the referee didn't hesitate. Kane steps up to take it but Livakovic saves it. However, the referee tells Kane to retake it as Livakovic didn't have a foot on the line. Huge drama!

3' We are underway in Dallas! Early corner for Croatia after [Player] and Stones are unable to clear the ball. Perisic steps up to take it. He finds Sutalo at the back post, but the defender is leaning back and volleys well over the bar. Early chance for Croatia!

It's time for the natinal anthems! England will be followed by Croatia. Not an empty seat inside the Dallas Stadium. 

England hold a slight advantage in recent meetings and are unbeaten in the last three encounters between the sides. 

Their most recent competitive victories include a 2-1 UEFA Nations League success and a 1-0 triumph at UEFA Euro 2020.

If Bukayo Saka features against Croatia on Wednesday, he will win his 50th Three Lions cap at the age of 24 years and 285 days. He would become just the fourth England men's player to reach the landmark before turning 25, as per England Football stats.

Saka would join Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Raheem Sterling as the only England players to earn 50 caps before their 25th birthday. Only Rooney, Owen and Sterling reached the milestone at a younger age.

Croatia fans have hit the streets of Dallas in huge numbers minutes ahead of the clash against England. Pure passion from the travelling supporters!

Croatian fans have taken over Dallas pic.twitter.com/Xf7SWmQww0

— Bracco | Social Sportsbook (@PlayBracco) June 17, 2026

special Legacy badge made for Luka Modric pic.twitter.com/zLQpgDFHKO

— SLYSKINY (@slyskiny01) June 17, 2026

This clash will be a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, where Croatia beat England 2-1 despite trailing for more than an hour in Moscow. After Kieran Trippier scored in the fifth minute, Ivan Perisic equalised in the 68th minute to force extra time. Mario Mandzukic then got the decisive goal 11 minutes before the end of extra time.

So, Jude Bellingham starts after all the debate. Thomas Tuchel had hinted before the tournament that the Real Madrid midfielder would have to fight for his place in the XI. Surprisingly, he gets the nod today over both Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers.

ENGLAND vs CROATIA  

Starting XI's confirmed!  pic.twitter.com/QVuzICmql7

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 17, 2026

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the FIFA World Cup Group L match between England and Croatia. Jude Bellingham is in the starting XI for England, while the evergreen Luka Modric makes the cut for Croatia.