England open with a statement

The performance

This wasn't a controlled, grind-it-out England win. It was open, ambitious, and at times breathless — the sort of football that, in previous tournaments, England fans had been promised and rarely received. Tuchel's attacking intent was visible from the off, and by the time the second half was done, Croatia had been picked apart in a way that would have seemed optimistic as a pre-match prediction.

Kane did what Kane does at international level: led the line, found space, and put the ball in the net. Twice. His international scoring record has long since made him England's all-time top scorer, and he showed here that the World Cup stage only sharpens his focus. At 32, he is still the gravitational centre of this England attack — and on this evidence, the tournament has arrived at exactly the right moment for him.

Croatia's resilience — and why it matters

Credit where it's due: Croatia did not fold. The side that reached the 2018 World Cup final and pushed France to the wire still carries that competitive DNA, and their two goals were a reminder that 4-2 is a scoreline, not a rout. England were made to work for this. The fact that they kept working — kept pressing, kept creating — is the detail that will please Tuchel most.

The full scoresheet beyond Kane's brace has not been confirmed from available sources, but the shape of the game tells its own story: England scored four, conceded two, and looked like a side with more gears to find. For a group-stage opener, that is about as encouraging as it gets.

What it means

One game does not make a tournament. England fans know this better than most. But the manner of this win — attacking, fluid, with their talisman at the centre of it — gives Tuchel's squad exactly the platform and momentum they needed. Croatia were not a soft touch. England beat them anyway, and beat them well.

The rest of the group has been put on notice. Tuchel, for once, looked like a man who had exactly what he wanted.