06/17/26 07:19:00
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06/17 19:17 CDT Harry Kane ties England's record for World Cup goals in 4-2 win
over Croatia
Harry Kane ties England's record for World Cup goals in 4-2 win over Croatia
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --- Hey, Jude, you and Harry didn't let England down.
Harry Kane scored twice to equal the English record for World Cup goals, and
Jude Bellingham put England in front for good two minutes into the second half
of a 4-2 victory over Croatia on Wednesday.
Martin Baturina and Petar Musa answered each of Kane's first-half goals in a
rematch of a 2018 semifinal won by Croatia. Musa's goal came on the final play
before the whistle ending the first half.
The even score didn't last long once play resumed.
Bellingham took a long pass from Elliot Anderson and stayed clear of the
defender the rest of the way, sending a shot past Dominik Livakovic and in off
the far post. Marcus Rashford padded the lead in the 85th minute.
"He just told us to let the shackles off," Kane said of coach Thomas Tuchel's
halftime message after Croatia pulled even so late before the break. "The way
we conceded that second goal is not the team we want to be. He finally just
said, ?What's the worst that can happen? We lose the match, first group game,
we get on with it.' We move on. Just go and kind of show the world who we can
be."
Kane, who won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia by scoring six
times, is up to 10 World Cup goals, tying Gary Lineker's mark from the 1986 and
1990 tournaments.
The 32-year-old's first goal came on his second chance on a penalty kick after
Livakovic's save on the first try was nullified by a video review that showed
both his feet off the goal line as Kane was striking the ball.
Kane went the same way toward the right post with the second attempt, while
Livakovic lunged the other direction, to his right.
The penalty was called when Luka Modric, the 40-year-old midfielder who
extended his Croatian record by appearing in his fifth World Cup, kicked Noni
Madueke in the thigh.
Kane matched Lineker's mark when the Bayern Munich striker easily beat
Livakovic with a powerful header off a corner kick from Declan Rice. Kane has
81 international goals.
"We scored two goals that were good actions and good situations, but they were
too little," Croatia coach Zlatco Dalic said through an interpreter. "England
was very difficult, (we) also have to be strong on the defensive side."
Bellingham almost immediately had another great scoring chance after the Real
Madrid player's seventh international goal. Livakovic made that save and about
a half-dozen more in a matter of minutes during a frenetic English attack.
"We could have scored probably three goals in that 20-minute spell coming out
(after halftime)," Kane said. "In the end, we just had too much for a great
team that will probably go far in the tournament themselves."
Musa scored the first World Cup goal for an active player from Dallas of Major
League Soccer, which plays its home games about 40 miles from AT&T Stadium.
The retractable-roof venue that is home to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys is giving
World Cup fans an air-conditioned reprieve from the muggy Texas heat, this time
for white-clad English fans and Croatian supporters who were mostly wearing
their country's familiar red-and-white checkered uniforms, not the blue kits
the players had on.
Musa tracked a header from Ivan Perisic and put a one-timer past Jordan
Pickford, who was also beaten in the 36th minute by Baturina. That shot into
the left corner ticked off Pickford's hand.
Bukayo Saka's pass left plenty of room for Rashford as the Barcelona player
entered the penalty area, faked a shot with his left foot and scored his 19th
international goal with his right.
"I loved the second half, all of it," Tuchel said. "I encouraged them to go for
it. To play with more courage, to be brave, to be ourselves. And like I said, I
loved their reaction."
England next plays Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in Group L on Tuesday,
the same day Croatia plays Panama in Toronto.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
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