England kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia, but the match has been overshadowed by significant controversy surrounding refereeing decisions and tactical play.
FIFA is now facing calls to ban a contentious penalty-taking technique employed by England captain Harry Kane. In the 12th minute, Kane’s first penalty attempt was saved by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, but the referees ordered a retake due to Livaković stepping off his line. On the second attempt, Kane scored, although his stop-and-go run-up drew criticism from various quarters, including former Milan star Kevin-Prince Boateng, who argued that such psychological tactics against keepers should not be allowed.
“I knew that if I hesitated in my run-up, he would definitely step off the line. I was 80% sure of it,” Kane told BBC Sport, acknowledging that his approach was a calculated psychological strategy based on a thorough study of the goalkeeper’s habits.
Post-match, Kane credited the victory to head coach Thomas Tuchel, highlighting the effectiveness of his impassioned halftime speech, which galvanized the team to apply intense pressing that ultimately overwhelmed the Croatian side.