England thrashed Croatia.
International Desk , Jun 17 (EFE).-
Portugal tied 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first group K match on Wednesday. Meanwhile, England thrashed Croatia 4-2 in the L group opener.
Portugal got off to a strong start, breaking the deadlock in just six minutes thanks to João Neves’s perfect header off a cross from Pedro Neto on the left wing.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Arthur Masuaku crossed the ball to Wissa, who tied the game at 1-1, sparking wild celebrations among the Congolese fans at NRG Stadium.
Meanwhile, two goals from Harry Kane, one from Jude Bellingham, and one from Marcus Rashford in the closing stages broke the resistance of the commendable Croatian team.
The first goal came after a double penalty kick for Kane. He missed the first attempt, but after a VAR review, Kane was granted another chance because the Croatian goalkeeper had come off his line too early.
Kane repeated the shot to his right, and Livaković chose the opposite side, putting the Three Lions on the scoreboard.
However, Croatia equalized in the 36th minute with a great shot from outside the box by Martin Baturina.
Minutes later, Kane came through again with a header off a corner kick, putting the English team ahead 2-1.
The Croatians responded with a volley by Petar Musa at the end of the first half.
In this back-and-forth battle, the English team ultimately prevailed, once again exploiting the Croatians’ weakness on the left flank.
Bellingham cut into the box and beat Livaković with a shot across the goal at the start of the second half.
England grew increasingly comfortable controlling the game and extended their lead with a goal by Marcus Rashford, closing the game 4-2 and securing the three points for the Three Lions. EFE
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