World Cup 2026: Kane says Tuchel's 'let the shackles off' speech inspired England victory (opens original article in a new tab)

England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their World Cup 2026 opener with Harry Kane scoring twice, inspired by Thomas Tuchel's half-time speech, while Croatia's coach criticized his team's defending.

• Harry Kane scored twice in the first half for England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in the World Cup opener
• England captain Kane said Thomas Tuchel's half-time speech to 'let the shackles off' inspired the team's second-half performance
• Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic criticized his team's poor second-half defending after conceding two goals in the final 20 minutes
• Kane explained his stuttered penalty run-up was a deliberate tactic to provoke Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic into an infringement