[2026 World Cup] "Kane Scores Twice" as Golden Boot Race Heats Up... England Defeats Croatia 4-2

England Avenges 2018 World Cup Semifinal Defeat to Croatia
Bellingham Scores Decisive Goal Early in Second Half; Rashford Seals the Win

England's leading striker Harry Kane scored two goals in the opening match of the group stage at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, joining the race for the tournament's Golden Boot.

On June 18 (Korean time), Kane led England to a 4-2 victory by scoring both of his goals in the first half of the first Group L match against Croatia at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA.

Kane opened the scoring in the 12th minute of the first half by successfully converting a penalty kick, which was awarded after Luka Modric committed a foul on Noni Madueke. In the 42nd minute, after Croatia had equalized with a goal from Martin Baturina, Kane restored England's lead to 2-1 by heading in a goal from a corner kick.

England's leading striker Harry Kane celebrated after scoring his second goal with a header from a corner kick in the 40th minute of the first Group L match against Croatia at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA, on the 18th (Korean time). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

However, right after Kane's second goal, Croatia equalized again in first-half stoppage time with a goal from Petar Musa. Musa connected with a header from Ivan Perisic inside the penalty box and finished with a right-footed shot.

With the first half ending 2-2, England pulled ahead in the second half with consecutive goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford. Bellingham scored the go-ahead goal just after the start of the second half, receiving a long ball from the back, breaking through on the right flank, and finishing with a right-footed shot.

England, holding onto a narrow one-goal lead, sealed the victory in the 40th minute of the second half with an additional goal from Rashford. Brought on as a substitute, Rashford received a pass from Bukayo Saka inside the penalty box, dribbled past a defender, and calmly finished to secure the win.

With this victory, England avenged their defeat to Croatia in the semifinals of the 2018 Russia World Cup. At that time, England lost 2-1 after extra time and failed to reach the final.

Now appearing in his third World Cup, Kane added two more goals on the day, bringing his World Cup career total to 10 goals and tying the record for most World Cup goals by an England player, held by Gary Lineker. Notably, Kane has scored 5 of his 10 goals from penalty kicks, making him the all-time World Cup leader in penalty goals. He surpassed Eusebio (Portugal), Rob Rensenbrink (Netherlands), Gabriel Batistuta, and Lionel Messi, who each scored 4 penalty goals.

Jude Bellingham of England scored a goal in the 2nd minute of the second half during the first L Group match against Croatia at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA, on the 18th (Korean time), and responded to the crowd's cheers by raising his hand. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

As the 2018 Russia World Cup Golden Boot winner, Kane's multi-goal performance in the first match is expected to further intensify the race for the top scorer early in the tournament. Besides Kane, several prominent strikers, including Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland, also scored multiple goals in their opening matches, signaling a fierce competition for the Golden Boot.

Messi took the lead in the scoring race by recording the tournament's first hat-trick in the match against Algeria. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute of the first half by finishing a through pass from Rodrigo De Paul, then added another goal in the 15th minute of the second half by slotting in a rebound from the goalkeeper. In the 31st minute of the second half, Messi completed his hat-trick with his trademark left-footed shot from near the penalty arc.

Thanks to Messi's outstanding performance, defending champions Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 and began their campaign for a second consecutive World Cup title on a strong note.

Kylian Mbappe, the Golden Boot winner at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, also joined the race by scoring two goals in France's opening group match against Senegal. France, led by Mbappe's multi-goal effort, defeated Senegal 3-1.

At the Qatar World Cup, Mbappe and Messi scored 8 and 7 goals respectively, engaging in a fierce battle for the Golden Boot. Their rivalry continues in all-time World Cup scoring. With his hat-trick against Algeria, Messi now has 16 career World Cup goals, tying Miroslav Klose for the most in tournament history. Mbappe, with 14 career World Cup goals, currently ranks third behind Messi and Klose (both with 16) and Ronaldo (15).

Norway's "goal machine" Haaland also joined the scoring race by netting two goals in the first Group I match against Iraq. Having won the English Premier League Golden Boot three times and the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot twice, Haaland is regarded as one of the world's best strikers. He has already become Norway's all-time leading scorer with 55 goals in 50 international matches. In the European qualifiers for this North and Central America World Cup, he scored 16 goals—leading all players in Europe—and guided Norway to their first World Cup finals in 28 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.