England 4-2 Croatia: World Cup 2026 Group L player ratings

Published 17 June 2026 · india

England (4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford Could have done better with Baturina’s goal. Made crucial late save to keep England ahead but looked shaky. 6 Reece James

England (4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford Could have done better with Baturina’s goal. Made crucial late save to keep England ahead but looked shaky. 6 Reece James At fault for losing his man for second equaliser. Dangerous in attack, not so good defensively. 6 Ezri Konsa Struggled in first half. Improved after break but his place could come under pressure from Marc Guéhi. 6 John Stones Looked rusty and made a nervy start. Improved as the game went on, needs minutes badly. 6 Nico O’Reilly Got forward at every opportunity and should have scored from a corner. A work in progress at the back. 7 Elliot Anderson Kept things ticking over nicely in midfield. Excellent ball to set up Bellingham’s goal. 8 Declan Rice Produced pinpoint corner for Kane’s header. Not his usual dominant self in midfield and looks fatigued after a long season. 7 Noni Madueke Won England’s penalty and looked very dangerous down right flank in place of Bukayo Saka. 8 Jude Bellingham Guilty of losing the ball in buildup to Croatia’s first goal.

But made amends in style with a brilliant goal. 7 Anthony Gordon On the periphery for most of the first half and couldn’t make an impact despite his best efforts. 6 Harry Kane Played more like a quarterback than a striker at times but still equalled England’s World Cup finals scoring record. 9 Substitutes: Marcus Rashford (for Gordon 72) Picked his spot brilliantly for his goal that even Livakovic couldn’t get near 7; Morgan Rogers (for Rice 72) Struggled in central midfield and looked far more comfortable further forward. Great ball to set up Spence 6; Bukayo Saka (for Madueke 72) A surprise to see him given injury concerns but played part in Rashford’s clincher 7; Djed Spence (for Bellingham 80) Should have scored moments after coming on but denied by Livakovic 6; Marc Guéhi (for Stones 87) A late introduction when the game was already won 6 View image in fullscreen Dominik Livakovic had a busy night in Croatia’s goal, making a string of saves.

Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters Croatia (3-4-2-1) Dominik Livakovic Off his line too early for penalty but some unbelievable stops to keep a rampant England at bay. 9 Josip Sutalo Didn’t know whether to track Kane when he dropped deep and was caught out on more than one occasion. 5 Luka Vuskovic The teenager lost sight of Kane for England’s second goal but Tottenham have a real prospect on their hands. 7 Josko Gvardiol The Manchester City defender had his hands full with Madueke. 6 Josip Stanisic A lively presence down the right flank for Croatia and often got the better of O’Reilly. 7 Luka Modric A surprise to see him give away an early penalty for fouling Madueke. But still oozes class despite his advancing years. 7 Mario Pasalic Decent strike went just wide at the end of first half but lost out in midfield battle. 6 Ivan Perisic Such a clever header to set up the second equaliser. Has incredible energy for a 37-year-old.