England led early when H. Kane converted a penalty on 12 minutes, but Croatia levelled through M. Baturina — set up by P. Sucic — on 36. Kane restored England's lead with a second goal on 42, assisted by D. Rice, only for P. Musa to equalise in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, assisted by I. Perisic. England moved clear for good just two minutes into the second half, J. Bellingham turning in a finish assisted by E. Anderson on 47. M. Rashford sealed the result with a fifth England goal on 85, assisted by B. Saka, confirming a 4-2 final. England finished with 21 shots to Croatia's 8, and an xG of 2.82 against Croatia's 0.53.

England take three points from their opening Group L fixture, establishing an early lead over Croatia, who sit on zero. The points gap matters in a group stage where every game counts toward qualification for the round of 16, and England's goal difference of plus-two already provides a meaningful cushion over their opponents. Croatia face a steeper path through the group having dropped all three points here, needing results to turn quickly in their remaining fixtures. For England, the winning margin and the volume of chances created — 21 shots, 11 on target, against a Croatia side that managed only 8 — point to a performance that went well beyond the scoreline's suggestion of a tight contest.

Kane's two goals — a penalty and an open-play finish — gave England a two-goal contribution from their striker and made him the decisive figure across both halves. Croatia twice drew level before the break, making J. Bellingham's goal two minutes into the second half the moment that finally separated the sides for good.