Tuchel's Bellingham gamble pays off as England demolish Croatia in Dallas thriller

England put on a masterclass in the second half to dispatch Croatia 4-2 in Dallas, with the performance earning widespread plaudits from pundits who backed Tuchel's controversial team selection.

The match saw England's skipper Harry Kane net twice to become England's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, overtaking Gary Lineker's tally. Yet the opening 45 minutes proved scrappy, with sloppy defensive work allowing Croatia—the 2018 runners-up and 2022 semi-finalists—to draw level at the break.

Tuchel's halftime intervention proved decisive. England emerged a different proposition after the interval, with Jude Bellingham making an immediate impact by scoring early in the second period. The Real Madrid midfielder's display vindicated the manager's decision to deploy him in the No. 10 role ahead of Morgan Rogers, with Bellingham creating havoc throughout. England could have run up an even more emphatic scoreline, though Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic produced several inspired saves to keep the deficit manageable.

Marcus Rashford added a late fourth to seal a convincing win, with the substitute's goal providing the perfect punctuation to a dominant display.

Alan Shearer told BBC Sport that Tuchel had made the correct call with Bellingham. "The manager has made the right one," Shearer explained, highlighting Bellingham's poacher's instinct and composure in front of goal. "He sees the spot, has a look there, knows where he wants to put it and guides it in there. It was a great finish and great start to the second half for England."

The former Newcastle striker identified plenty of encouragement in the overall performance. "There's so many positives to come out of that. The goals that they scored and how they stood strong when they did come under pressure. All in all a good night for England."

Wayne Rooney, the former England captain, was equally enthusiastic about what he witnessed at AT&T Stadium. "I loved it. I thought it was a great performance," Rooney said, though he acknowledged there remained room for improvement defensively. "They can do a little better with the two goals they conceded but so positive and getting to the ball, creating chances, making it hard for Croatia to get out."

Rooney stressed the importance of the opening-match victory in establishing momentum. "That was as exciting a first game of a tournament I've seen for a long time," he reflected. "The main thing was making a positive start and for England to win the game was the main thing for me tonight."

The Manchester United legend offered perspective on the broader tournament picture, noting that Argentina and France had both impressed in their opening matches. "This tournament doesn't start until the knockout stages and England will get to the knockout stages then it'll start. Now it's about building momentum for when we get there."

England's next assignment sees them face Ghana on Tuesday evening, before concluding their group fixtures against Panama on 27 June.