A stirring halftime talk from England coach Thomas Tuchel inspired the Three Lions to a winning start and cemented the team’s status as one of the tournament favorites. England captain Harry Kane brought his lifetime tally of World Cup goals up to 10 by scoring two.
But Cristiano Ronaldo’s bid to become the first man to score in six different World Cups goes on — his Portugal team had a disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo.
Today will no doubt deliver more thrills. Stay with NBC News for its live coverage.
The game of the tournament so far saw England renew its rivalry with Croatia in a six-goal thriller. This time, England triumphed, energizing its bid to end 60 years of hurt on the international stage. Tuchel was appointed with the simple task of coaching England to a World Cup win, and England showed early signs of his tactical acumen but also his ability to inspire his players.
Midfielder Declan Rice spoke glowingly of the halftime talk that helped spur England from a 2-2 tie at the half to the 4-2 win, as the Three Lions roared out of the blocks in the second half. Earlier, a pair of goals by Kane — his ninth and 10th at World Cups — had twice put England ahead, only for some sloppy defending and smart attacking play to give Croatia a route back.
In the same Group L, Ghana defeated Panama 1-0 with a last-gasp winner. England plays Ghana next, where Kane will be hoping to surpass Gary Lineker’s record for the most goals scored by an England player at the World Cup.
A Portugal team starring another superstar in Ronaldo could only tie 1-1 against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Portugal was among the pretournament favorites but struggled to generate chances, with Ronaldo’s performance likely to fuel new debate about whether it’s time to bench him. In the same group, Uzbekistan came out fighting in its first-ever World Cup appearance but lost 3-1 to Colombia.
Co-hosts Mexico and Canada are back in action as the second round of matches begins in groups A and B. Mexico and South Korea have a chance to cement a place in the round of 32, while South Africa and Czechia will be desperate to avoid an early exit.
Mexico takes on South Korea at 9 p.m. ET. Both teams stand atop Group A with three points apiece, but Mexico is in first place courtesy of a superior goal difference: It beat South Africa 2-0 in a fiery opener that saw three red cards, while South Korea defeated Czechia 2-1.
While Mexico opened its campaign in the capital city’s iconic Azteca Stadium, tonight’s match takes it to Guadalajara.
Canada has a chance to take a decisive step toward the knockouts against Qatar, with all four teams in their group even at one point apiece after the Qataris earned a surprise draw with Switzerland. A win would ease the pressure on the Canadians, who impressed and earned a first World Cup point in an opening game tie with Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Canadians’ third and final game will be against the talented Swiss.
World Cup! All the games are on Telemundo and Peacock, and all times are Eastern:
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
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