SOCCER: Tuchel delighted as second-half response secures win over Croatia

ARLINGTON, Texas — England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his team's strong second-half response after a shaky opening period helped secure a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening Group L match of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

England overcame a challenging first half, with goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford after the break sealing the win in Dallas. Harry Kane scored twice in the opening half, but Croatia responded on both occasions through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to keep the match level at halftime.

“I loved the second half, all of it,” Tuchel said after the match. “I loved the reaction to a very complicated first half against a top opponent.”

The England coach admitted his players appeared nervous early on and struggled to make quick decisions.

“I think we showed a bit of nerves and maybe tried too hard at times,” Tuchel said. “We overthought our decisions. When we could play short, we played long, and when we could play long, we played short.”

Tuchel also noted that England spent too much time defending deep, which he said does not reflect the team's preferred style of play.

“We spent way too much time in a low block, which is not our identity and not what we wanted,” he said. “Even when we were leading, we became too cautious and were punished for it.”

England took the lead in the 12th minute when Kane converted a retaken penalty. Croatia equalized through Baturina before Kane restored England’s advantage with a well-placed header, his 10th career World Cup goal.

However, Musa scored deep into first-half stoppage time to level the match again and cap an entertaining opening 45 minutes.

England took control after halftime, with Bellingham and Rashford finding the net to secure all three points and give Tuchel’s side a winning start to the tournament.

Despite the victory, Tuchel said there is still room for improvement.

“There are still things to improve, which is normal after the first match,” he said. “You need to grow into a tournament. We had a tough opening opponent, but there were many positives that we can build on.”

Tuchel also praised Kane’s work rate after the striker tracked back late in the match to help prevent Croatia from scoring another goal.

The England manager revealed that midfielder Declan Rice was substituted as a precaution after experiencing discomfort.

“I saw a bit of discomfort and asked him about it,” Tuchel said. “He pointed to his lower back and the area behind the hamstring. I didn’t want to take any risks.”

Tuchel added that Reece James performed well after replacing Rice in central midfield and expressed optimism that the injury is not serious.

“He reassured me after the match that he’s okay,” Tuchel said. “Hopefully it’s nothing more than a minor issue.”

England’s victory gives them an early boost in Group L as they continue their campaign for a first World Cup title since 1966. -Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters