Harry Kane has revealed manager Thomas Tuchel’s powerful half-time speech that sparked England’s dramatic come-from-behind victory over Croatia in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The England captain believes Tuchel’s dressing room message was the turning point in a thrilling encounter, with the Three Lions significantly improving their second-half performance to secure an entertaining victory in Dallas.
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Harry Kane reveals Thomas Tuchel’s key half-time message
Speaking to the media after the match, Kane opened up about the German coach’s words at the interval.
“Credit to the manager, he gave us a speech at half-time and said, ‘If we lose, we lose, but we’ve lost our way,'” Kane revealed.
This message immediately resonated with England’s players. The team responded positively after the restart.
Just two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham received a superb pass from Elliott Anderson, entered the penalty area and scored with his right foot to restore England’s lead at 3-2.
Perfect start to the 2026 World Cup for England
Bellingham regained the lead and Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković made a series of excellent saves before substitute Rashford converted five minutes before the end.
This was Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup debut as England manager, and he couldn’t have scripted a better opening line.
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For Kane, who is already in good form, the win follows an excellent season for Bayern Munich in which he scored 61 goals in 51 games across all competitions.
In those two matches he scored 10 goals in 12 games, equaling Gary Lineker as England’s all-time World Cup goalscorer.
England next face Ghana on Tuesday 23rd June, before facing Panama on Saturday 27th June.
Considering their performance tonight, they will be expected to advance to the next round of the tournament.
