Harry Kane reveals Thomas Tuchel's half-time speech inspired England to victory over Croatia

The Impact of Tuchel's Half-Time Speech

Harry Kane has revealed that a half-time speech from Thomas Tuchel inspired England to victory in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Croatia. Tuchel told the team to 'take the shackles off, calm down and let's go' and to 'show the world who we can be.'

England's Strong Second-Half Performance

Croatia equalised twice before half-time after Kane had equalled Gary Lineker's record for goals scored by an England player at the World Cup finals with a penalty and a header from Declan Rice's corner. However, a much-improved performance in the second half saw Jude Bellingham re-establish England's lead before Marcus Rashford came off the bench to wrap up the victory late on.

Kane and Bellingham on Tuchel's Speech

"He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and let's go. He said what's the worst that can happen? Show the world who we can be," said Kane of Tuchel's rousing speech. Bellingham added: "It wasn't one of those where it was a big drama or standing up and shouting; it was what the team needed. We have a mature group with great leaders in there; everyone knew the level we had to get to. The start of the second half gave us a great platform."

Tuchel's Assessment of the Game

Tuchel acknowledged that his players had shown signs of nerves despite going twice ahead but hopes that they will learn from the experience. "Sometimes if you want to get it so perfectly right, you sometimes want it too much and you overthink it," he said. "In the end, in doubt, we took the decision to go backwards, on and off the ball. We played way too many [passes] backwards, we played way too many back to our goalkeeper. It took us a while to find our confidence."

Looking Ahead

The win was a great result for England against a tough side, and Tuchel is hopeful that his team will build on this performance. There were concerns when Declan Rice was taken off as a precaution in the second half due to some discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring, but Tuchel hopes it's nothing serious.