Kane Credits Tuchel’s Halftime Speech as England Beat Croatia

England’s opening 4-2 victory over Croatia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 was shaped not only by goals but by leadership and mentality, according to captain Harry Kane and midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Kane, who scored twice in the first half to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals, revealed that manager Gareth Southgate’s halftime message inspired the team’s decisive second‑half performance.

‘Credit to the manager, the manager gave us a speech at half‑time as if to say, ‘Look, if we lose, we lose in our way,’ and you saw that with how we came out in the second half,’ Kane said.

‘We went full gas and they couldn’t deal with it and that’s the level we have to set for every game. Just the intensity we went at, that’s our biggest strength so we’re going to have to use that more in this tournament.’

Bellingham, who restored England’s lead with a well‑taken strike early in the second half, echoed Kane’s emphasis on intensity but admitted the team had been nervous in the opening stages.

‘In the first half we were a little bit nervy, a little bit cagey. We set up well defensively, pressed well, defensively were good without the ball but with the ball probably we were rushed a little bit,’ he explained.

‘Then in the second half we created a nicer rhythm and that’s where you saw the best of us. The early goal at the start of the second half gave us a good platform. I think the second half was a constant level, the intensity without the ball was top‑level, the substitutes who came on were unbelievable.’