England’s World Cup campaign began with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas that not only set a new peak television audience record for 2026 but also produced one of the tournament’s most arresting images: thousands of supporters and several players united in a stadium-wide rendition of Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’. ITV reported a peak of 15.4 million viewers, the highest since Euro 2024, as Harry Kane’s first-half brace, followed by second-half strikes from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford, propelled Thomas Tuchel’s side to an opening win. At the final whistle, the public-address system cued the Britpop anthem, and the scenes that followed — Kane and Bellingham visibly emotional, Anthony Gordon singing at full voice — quickly circulated across social media, lending the Group L fixture a cultural resonance that transcended the scoreline.

Yet the euphoria masked a first half that, viewed from Berlin and London alike, exposed familiar fragilities. German observers noted that England’s defence, marshalled by John Stones and the often-questioned Ezri Konsa, looked far from secure, conceding twice from set-piece situations to leave the score level at the interval. Tuchel’s response in the dressing room became the evening’s pivot. According to accounts in the British and German press, the former Chelsea manager told his players to embrace risk: ‘Even if we lose, we do it our way.’ Assistant coach Anthony Barry had described the team as ‘confused’, and Tuchel demanded a braver, more intense second half. The transformation was immediate. Bellingham restored the lead with a goal of individual brilliance, Rashford added a fourth, and England played with a Premier League tempo that analysts in London hailed as a long-awaited departure from cautious tournament football.

The post-match celebration, captured in Italian and Spanish reports, underscored a shift in the relationship between a previously contested coach and the public. Italian outlets described an ‘alchemy’ between players and fans, noting that Tuchel, whose appointment had been met with scepticism, now appeared to be forging a genuine bond. The mass singing of ‘Wonderwall’ — a song that has become an unofficial terrace anthem — was not merely a moment of joy but a signal that the team and its support base are, for now, moving in lockstep. That emotional charge, amplified by the players’ visible reaction, gave the victory a narrative weight that extended well beyond the tactical adjustments.

Forward-looking analysis, however, tempers the optimism. England travel to Boston to face Ghana with two glaring issues unresolved. The defensive disorganisation that allowed Croatia to equalise twice will be tested more severely by opponents with greater cutting edge, and Tuchel’s high-wire demand for intensity leaves little margin for error. British correspondents in Dallas noted that while the second half was sensational, the first-half confusion raised questions about whether the new ethos can be sustained across a full tournament. For all the talk of a statement win, the path to a first major title since 1966 remains littered with the same old pitfalls.