The Three Lions were twice pegged back by Croatia after Kane's two first-half goals and looked a little unsettled before the interval. At half-time, assistant coach Anthony Barry ripped into what he called a complicated and confusing performance, and Tuchel also had stern words for the squad.
The reaction was immediate. Jude Bellingham drove England ahead with a third goal, powering down the right and finishing with force. England controlled the opening spell of the second half, though Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic kept the scoreline from ballooning further with key saves.
Tuchel's side then showed their depth. Substitutes Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford combined for a fourth goal that gave England a two-goal cushion and capped an impressive display.
Credit to the manager, he gave us a speech at half-time and said if we lose, we lose in our way and I think we saw that in the way we came out in the second half. We went full gas and they couldn't live with it.
England captain Kane delivered that assessment after the final whistle.
England's Possible Route to the Final
Based on pre-tournament seeding and FIFA ranking, England's projected knockout path from Dallas looks like this:
- Round of 32, 1 July: England v third-place finisher in Group E/H/I/J/K at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- Round of 16, 5 July: England vs Mexico at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
- Quarter-final, 11 July: England vs Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
- Semi-final, 15 July: England vs Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- Final, 19 July: England vs Spain at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
What England Need to Reach the Knockouts
England's win against Croatia puts them in a strong position to reach the knockout phase and top the group.
Unless Panama beat Ghana and Croatia in their first two games, England could seal top spot in the group if they beat Ghana and claim a point against the minnows in their final match.
If Ghana beat Panama later on Wednesday, as is expected, then England's clash against the Ghanaian side may well decide who goes through as group winners.
In terms of the minimum required, three points with a positive or level goal difference should be enough to go through as one of the eight best-ranked third-place teams.
England's Next World Cup Game
England play Ghana on Tuesday 23 June at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the home of the New England Patriots and outside of Boston. Kick-off is 4pm local time, which is 9pm BST in the UK.
The match will be shown in the UK on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website.
England's World Cup Fixtures
- June 17: England 4-2 Croatia at AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- June 23: England v Ghana at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, 4pm ET / 9pm BST
- June 27: England v Panama at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, 5pm ET / 10pm BST
Bellingham and the Chip on His Shoulder
England midfielder Jude Bellingham said playing with a chip on his shoulder will bring the best out of him at the World Cup after contributing to the Croatia win.
For me personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my team-mates how committed I am to help us try to win football matches.
It was a great team performance. Second half, we got things right, first half we got the intensity right, but not quite with the ball and second half we put it all together nicely.
To contribute, to help my team and help my country is one of the biggest honours and regardless of the noise outside, that honour doesn't change for me at all.
It has been a tough season for me but I am feeling fresh and sharp and stronger.
