England found a sharp, fluent rhythm against Croatia, producing what may have been their finest first half since Thomas Tuchel took charge. In a performance shaped by the European club game, Barcelona’s Gordon and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham supplied the craft and cutting edge.
England take control before the interval
- Bellingham opened the way with a pass slipped into Harry Kane’s path. The England captain faced Dominik Livakovic one-on-one and drove a powerful finish across the goalkeeper into the top corner.
- Gordon then provided the second. The Barcelona player brought down a difficult ball, turned and pulled it back for Bellingham, who finished into an almost unguarded net.
- Having already scored against Spain and the Czech Republic, Gordon continued his scoring run against Croatia. Rather than arriving through the space behind the defence, he met the ball at the far post with a diving header.
- Bellingham completed an influential opening period with another assist, finding Bukayo Saka for a simple close-range finish.
It was an emphatic first-half statement from England, with Bellingham central to two goals as creator and one as scorer, while Gordon once again brought decisive end product. Croatia were repeatedly stretched by England’s movement and punished whenever the visitors found room around the penalty area.
