England fans were put through the emotional wringer but ultimately were jubilant after brushing aside Croatia in their opening World Cup match.
It truly was a game of two halves as the Three Lions came out roaring after a dismal first period to race into a 4-2 lead with Marcus Rashford’s cool finish securing the three points to put England top of Group L.
Fans ripped off their shirts and got on each other’s shoulders at the 85th minute goal as nerves were finally settled.
Pints were thrown in the air in viewing areas across the country as they wisely avoided paying £3,000 for a ticket and stayed home to watch a live stream.
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Fans roared as they saw England captain Harry Kane throw himself in front of the ball for a last-minute block as much as any of their team’s four goals.
Kane matched Gary Lineker’s World Cup record haul of ten goals with his first-half double, a re-taken penalty and a header from a Declan Rice corner.
Thomas Tuchel allegedly laid into the Three Lions at half-time telling the players ‘If we lose we lose playing our way’.
It was a different England that turned out for the second half with Jude Bellingham quickly giving the Lions the lead with a sensational solo goal.
England captain Harry Kane, spoke after the match giving credit to Tuchel for his rousing speech.
He said: ‘Without the ball, we went a bit more aggressive. It was difficult. They have players like Luka Modric dropping in and you’re trying to figure out who to pick up. The intensity we want at, it’s our biggest strength and we’ll have to use that more.
‘The way we controlled the game once we went ahead, we never really looked like we were in danger and then scored on the counter-attack. We had a spell where we could have scored three or four.’
(Picture: w8media)
The only concern was Arsenal maestro Declan Rice limping off in the 72nd minute, sparking injury fears.
The England star, 27, was surprisingly replaced by Morgan Rogers in the 72nd minute of his side’s World Cup opener.
The victory has seen England cut to 11-2 (from 7-1) by bookmakers to win the World Cup.
Harry Kane is now 3-1 (from 15-2) to be the top goalscorer at the tournament.