Tuchel praises Kane’s “complete” performance after Croatia brace

Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for Harry Kane after the Bayern Munich striker inspired England to a 4-2 victory over Croatia with a brace.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane made a strong start to the World Cup, scoring a first-half brace as England opened their campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia on Thursday.

After the match, England coach Thomas Tuchel praised his captain’s all-round display, highlighting not only his goals but also his leadership, mentality and defensive work rate.

"If you see the commitment of our captain, of our No 9 in the extra time, to block a crucial shot after a set-piece with all his body and his commitment to buy into a defensive action like this then you know everything about his performance today," said Tuchel, according to Sky.

“A complete performance. Absolute leader. He's all in. Physically, mentally. It's the full package at the moment. He wants it and he leads by example, so we're very happy.”

Kane, 32, has now scored 81 goals in 115 appearances for England. He’s coming off a remarkable 2025/26 campaign with Bayern Munich, in which he found the net 61 times in 51 games.