World Cup: Kane ties Lineker’s record with first-half brace in England’s win over Croatia

FC Bayern and England’s star Harry Kane reached double-digit World Cup goals after his brace against Croatia.

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England started their 2026 World Cup campaign in style as Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Croatia 4-2. FC Bayern’s Harry Kane added two more goals to his collection as he has now tied Gary Lineker as England’s all-time top scorer in the history of the competition.

Both strikers have World Cup Golden Balls, but Kane started this tournament with a chance to become the first player to win it twice. And, like some of the big names, he had a perfect start to his third World Cup.

Kane put England in front in the 12th minute when he benefited from retaking a penalty-kick as Dominik Livakovic left his line early before saving the initial effort. Croatia responded with Martin Baturina’s superb finish, but the 32-year-old restored England’s lead with a powerful header from Declan Rice’s corner-kick.

Former Union Berlin striker Petar Musa’s strike in the last meaningful action of the half saw the two teams enter the break 2-2. Ivan Perišić, who has played for both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern, provided the assist for the MLS striker. 

It was a completely different game after the restart, however. England could’ve won it with a huge margin, but only ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford found the net. Bundesliga strikers Igor Matanović and Andrej Kramaric came off the bench for Croatia, while Josip Stanišić and Luca Vušković were in the starting lineup.

All three German coaches – Julian Nagelsmann (Germany), Ralf Rangnick (Austria) and Tuchel (England) – won their respective games on matchday one at the 2026 World Cup. England sit top of the group before the other game between Ghana and Panama.