England 4-2 Croatia: Harry Kane matches Gary Lineker World Cup record as striker chases Lionel Messi for golden boot

Harry Kane scored twice against Croatia to move level with Gary Lineker as England's top scorer at World Cup finals.

The Three Lions began their World Cup campaign on Wednesday, beating Croatia 4-2 thanks to a strong attacking performance.

Kane scored from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, but Thomas Tuchel's side were pegged back by Martin Baturina's equaliser in the 36th minute.

The striker then restored England's lead moments later, though goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford were needed after the half-time interval to secure a 4-2 victory.

Kane's second goal was his 10th at the World Cup, meaning he is now tied with Gary Lineker for the most goals by an English player in the history of the tournament.

10 - Harry Kane has scored 10 FIFA World Cup goals, the joint-most of any England player, along with Gary Lineker.

Summit. pic.twitter.com/hayeFWcSNh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 17, 2026

Harry Kane: England's answer to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe?

If England are to win the World Cup, they will need their star players to step up just as the best players of other nations have so far this tournament.

Lionel Messi took home the match ball in the early hours of Wednesday after scoring three times for Argentina against Algeria, while Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France as they beat Senegal on Tuesday.

Norway are not expected to win the competition, but Erling Haaland did find the back of the net twice for his country against Iraq on Tuesday, powering his team to victory.

Kane established himself as one of the best players in the world at Bayern Munich, and his performance in England's opening game of this summer's tournament has shown that he is ready to carry the goalscoring burden for his country.

If England advance deep into the knockout stages of the World Cup, there is every chance that Kane could also leave with the golden boot, and that would be his second after ending as top scorer in 2018.

Thomas Tuchel concern for England: Weak defensively?

England looked strong from an offensive perspective against Croatia, and their approach was refreshing compared to the defensive football seen under Gareth Southgate.

However, the Three Lions looked vulnerable at the back, but perhaps that should not come as a surprise given John Stones played just 1,142 minutes for Manchester City in 2025-26, and his lack of match sharpness was apparent.

Restoring Marc Guehi to the starting lineup could be a sensible idea, though it remains to be seen whether Tuchel will trust the centre-back against Ghana on June 23.