After a chaotic first-half deadlock that saw captain Harry Kane smash home a clinical double—a high-pressure retaken penalty and a header—Tuchel completely transformed the team’s energy at the interval, Yankee Scores reports.
Bellingham restored England’s lead for the third time just two minutes into the second interval, and super sub Marcus Rashford added the icing with 5 minutes left on the clock.
England boss Thomas Tuchel has hailed his side for a superlative second half that ensured a 4-2 win over Croatia in their Group L opener.
Harry Kane scored the first two goals for England. The Bayern Munich striker’s first goal, a retaken penalty, and a header demonstrated his crucial role in the team’s success.
“I loved the second half. All of it. I loved the reaction to a very complicated first half.
“We played against a top opponent. We showed a bit of nerves. Maybe we wanted to over do it. But we clearly over-thought our decisions. It took us too long to take decisions. We couldn’t find the rhythm in our game.
“We spent way too much time in a low block which is not our identity. Both leads didn’t make us more free. It had the impression we had to protect something and we got punished for it, Tuchel added.
Tuchel’s Pep Talk
Tuchel said the confidence and bravery instilled into the team at half time led to a much improved second half.
“But I love the reaction. We encouraged them to go for it, to play with more courage, be brave and be ourselves. We created a lot of chances. We had a lot of ball wins. We scored goals.
“Overall I think we deserved to win. There are still things to improve, this is quite normal after the first match. You need to grow into a tournament. We got a tough draw to start against Croatia.”
Neville: Bellingham and Kane Are Instrumental for England
Former England International Gary Neville noted that the duo of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are key for the Three Lions, per Skysports.
“The Jude Bellingham argument is over with. We can’t be disrespectful to Morgan Rogers because he’s a brilliant player. But Jude Bellingham is the top player. He and Kane in attack are the difference.
“The most important thing is can we keep possession? Take the sting out of the game on the ball. We haven’t shown that yet, but it might come in the following games.
“We didn’t let Modric dictate the game. In the past, England players would’ve stood off players like that. These lads didn’t today. Anderson in particular targeted him with the press.”
England will face Ghana on Tuesday evening for their second Group L game.
