Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

England's fans were carried out of the magnificent Dallas Stadium into the warm night air on a carpet of exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel's side delivered a powerful statement of intent.

Harry Kane told his England team-mates to be "free in the mind" and embrace the pressures the World Cup brings – and they took him at his word for good and bad.

This was, whisper it, fun.

England have been a hard watch for much of the recent era, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and World Cup quarter-final in Qatar four years ago. Those two tournaments were dry fare, despite England progressing deep into them only to eventually fall short.

Sir Gareth Southgate's excellent record showed the ends justified much of the means, but it was rarely done in a style that moved you towards the edge of of your seat.

Not here. Dull this was not - although admittedly not always in a way Tuchel would have enjoyed.

This was a game you could not turn your gaze away from for a second, whether it was watching the cold fury of Tuchel in the first half, then an attacking siege in the second half which led to England's head coach falling into the arms of countryman Jurgen Klopp in the aftermath when he spotted him on the touchline working as a TV pundit.

Read more of McNulty's analysis here

You can watch England v Ghana (23 June, 21:00 BST) on BBC One and iPlayer, or you can listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Here's how things are shaping up in Group L.

England play Ghana on 23 June then Panama on 27 June.

England were certainly strong going forward, but Croatia also highlighted the Three Lions' weaknesses in defence.

The selection of Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was contentious and it is a debate that will no doubt continue going into England's next game against Ghana on Tuesday.

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'I wonder what Thomas Tuchel said to them?'

That was probably what most of us were thinking after England came out firing against Croatia in the second-half.

England captain Harry Kane told BBC Sport: "The boss said at half-time to up the tempo, go man for man and completely take the game to them, and that is exactly what happened.

"You saw us at our best level, both with and without the ball and we could have scored three or four goals in that 20-minute spell in the second half.

"We did what we needed to do and finished the game off nicely at the end."

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It was a lively first half between England and Croatia as Zlatko Dalic's side twice came back from behind to go into half-time level.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel called that first half "complicated," but "loved the reaction" his side gave after the break.

And the half-time team talk seemed to have an almost immediate impact as Jude Bellingham scored within two minutes of the restart to put England 3-2 ahead.

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Thomas Tuchel will be delighted at starting the World Cup with a victory, so vital for confidence at any major tournament.

He will, however, know there is work to do despite an impressive win and a scoreline that was a fair reflection of their superiority, especially in the second half.

England were potent in attack, particularly for a spell after the break when Jude Bellingham scored and Croatia somehow held out during a period of intense pressure.

Harry Kane joined Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in making an early pitch for the Golden Boot, while Bellingham gave a powerhouse display he embellished with a fine goal.

It was in defence, however, where Tuchel will feel there must be improvements as Croatia scored two goals that could have been avoided.

In the end, though, it was the three points that mattered and England fully merited their win.

How are we all doing? A little sleepy after a late night? Or is the adrenaline of that England performance enough to keep you going this morning?

England have been accused of playing with the handbrake on in recent years, but there was no sign of that against Croatia.

It was football on the edge and England's followers, judging by their reaction at the final whistle and afterwards, loved it.

Let us know what you made of England's opening game - the positives and any negatives - using the form at the top of the page.

Before we dive into all things England, there were three other games on matchday seven:

• Portugal 1-1 Congo DR
• Ghana 1-0 Panama
• Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia

Thomas Tuchel's England demonstrated strength in attack and frailty in defence, but possessed the firepower to finally overcome Croatia and set the platform for progress in Group L.

Grab yourself a brew/coffee and watch the highlights below.

England scored four and it could have easily been more in the second half if it wasn't for the valiant efforts of Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic.

Here's all four of the goals ...

Good morning!

England got their World Cup campaign underway in style with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia last night.

It was good, wasn't it?

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