England crowd cheers following a goal by midfielder Jude Bellingham (10) during the second half of FIFA World Cup Group L match against Croatia, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 , at Dallas Stadium in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON — England made a bold opening statement Wednesday with its 4-2 win over Croatia in one of the World Cup’s most anticipated matches, right here at JerryWorld, which FIFA insists on calling “Dallas Stadium,” like that’s a thing.
Speaking of which: FIFA has slapped “Dallas” on everything out here in Tarrant County. Even the concession options.
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Frito pie is also now “Texas pie.”
If FIFA had its way, it’d peel “Fletcher’s” off the corny dogs at the State Fair.
If I can’t in good conscience vouch for the menu, the soccer was first-rate entertainment. England and Croatia picked up where Japan and The Netherlands left off Sunday, with a couple of noticeable differences.
First, the Croats and Three Lions scored more goals than their predecessors could have managed in a week. British journalists were agog at the onslaught. English fans have begged for this kind of attack for years, decades, even.
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“We encouraged them to go for it,” Thomas Tuchel said of his halftime speech to his players. “To be more brave. To be ourselves.
“Overall, I think we deserved to win.”
Croatia, a third-place finisher in 2022 after a runner-up position in ’18, couldn’t argue with that sentiment. Just the same, the Croats had their moments. The prettiest was a crab-walking shot between the legs of an English defender by FC Dallas’ own Petar Musa off a nifty header from a teammate. Tied it up just seconds before the half.
The stalemate wouldn’t last long. England simply had too much firepower for the Croats, who, for the most part, couldn’t keep the ball out of their end. Harry Kane, a star rising to the moment just as Messi and Mbappe did for their countries this week, fell just short of a hat trick.
The biggest difference between the opener here and Wednesday’s match, however, was the decibel level generated by the 70,389 on hand. For a game with so many offensive fireworks, not to mention a history between the two nations that included Croatia’s elimination of England in the 2018 World Cup, it was the kind of crowd you might find across the street under the sliding roof.
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A few impromptu rounds of “God Save the King” was pretty much the extent of it, whereas you couldn’t shut up Sunday’s crowd.
Japan, which will be back here next week for Sweden, has for some reason latched on to Men Without Hats’ 1987 ditty, “Pop Goes the World,” which their fans recite ad nauseam. They made up for it by hanging around afterward to clean up after themselves.
The beauty of the world coming to your doorstep is the culture they pack with them. They do their best to understand ours, too. Like the TV broadcasters during Sunday’s match at JerryWorld after a long lead pass.
Play-by-play man: “That might be the best pass they’ve seen in this stadium since Dak Prescott threw a 74-yarder to CeeDee Lamb against the Washington Commanders in Week 7.”
Analyst: “Yeah, that was proper.”
Play-by-play: “That was some ball, wasn’t it?”
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Analyst: “That was proper.”
Play-by-play: “Absolutely split them in two.”
Analyst: “Tom Brady would have been happy with that.”
Not sure if the GOAT was here Wednesday, but Dirk Nowitzki, Emmitt Smith and Dez Bryant were. The biggest star, though, was Kane, who scored on a penalty kick and a header off a cross a day after Messi posted his first hat trick in a World Cup match.
Let’s hope Leo has something left for Austria when Argentina gets here Monday.
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The 48-nation tournament, largest in World Cup history, has already provided a little bit of something for everyone. Besides Messi, Kane and Mbappe proving stars still shine, we’ve identified not just one but two Cinderellas! Cabo Verde, which fought to a scoreless draw with Spain on Monday, and Congo DR, which held Portugal and Ronaldo to a 1-1 draw earlier Wednesday.
The only no-go so far: The newly instituted “hydration break” midway through both halves. Fans dislike the timeouts for two reasons. The first is that, with a running clock, a regulation game comes in at two hours flat. Soccer fans, who booed or whistled during Wednesday’s breaks, don’t like anything that interrupts the flow.
Nothing seemed to rattle England, which is now 7-3-2 against Croatia on a national stage. Still, Tuchel noted first-half jitters, no doubt because there’s pressure to bear. England hasn’t won a World Cup since 1966, a drought that makes even Jerry Jones’ look puny in comparison.
The good news is, the people renting out Jerry’s palace are off to a bang-up start. If you’re coming out Monday, my advice is to leave early. Like, now. Parking prices are going up by the day. Escalated 20% since Sunday at the lot SportsDay reporters use, and that’s still a bargain compared with the $300 gouging going on near the stadium. I’d tell you where ours is, but then you might get my spot, and we can’t have that, can we?
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Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN