Harry Kane stars as England overpower Croatia 4-2 in World Cup debut match

England's World Cup campaign kicked off in style as they defeated Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling match in Texas on Wednesday, with Harry Kane scoring twice in the first half to set the tone for the victory.

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Kane's goals were followed by strikes from Jude Bellingham and substitute Marcus Rashford, as Thomas Tuchel's side eventually overcame a determined Croatia team that had fought back to level the score at 2-2.

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The first half was a frenetic affair, with Kane putting England ahead twice, only for Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to equalize for Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up.

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Bellingham needed just two minutes of the second half to restore England's lead, and although they had numerous chances to extend their advantage, they did not take them until Rashford scored with five minutes remaining.

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The match was a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which Croatia won 2-1 after extra-time, but this time England emerged victorious in front of a crowd of 70,000.

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Thomas Tuchel's side made a nervy start, but the game came alive when Croatia's captain Luka Modric caught Noni Madueke in the box, resulting in a penalty for England.

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Harry Kane saw his initial penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic, but French referee Clement Turpin ordered a retake, which Kane converted with more conviction to give England the lead after 12 minutes.

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England dominated the proceedings after the goal, with Bellingham surging upfield and forcing Livakovic to make a save, while the crowd expressed their disapproval of the drinks break despite the match being played under a roof.

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On the half-hour mark, England should have gone 2-0 up, but Bellingham narrowly failed to make contact with Madueke's low cross, and instead, Croatia drew level on 36 minutes through Baturina.

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Baturina's goal was followed by Kane's second of the match, which came after a Declan Rice corner found him unmarked, and he nodded home to restore England's lead, taking his World Cup goal tally to 10, level with Gary Lineker.

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Croatia equalized again in the fifth minute of injury time through Musa, who took advantage of poor England defending to stroke the ball in from close range and make the score 2-2 at halftime.

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The second half began with a goal, as Bellingham galloped down the right unchallenged and rolled the ball into the corner to give England the lead once more.

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Kane and Nico O'Reilly had good chances to extend England's lead, but it was not until Rashford scored with five minutes remaining that the three points were safe for Thomas Tuchel's side.