'I wonder what Thomas Tuchel said to them?'

That was probably what most of us were thinking after England came out firing against Croatia in the second-half.

England captain Harry Kane told BBC Sport: "The boss said at half-time to up the tempo, go man for man and completely take the game to them, and that is exactly what happened.

"You saw us at our best level, both with and without the ball and we could have scored three or four goals in that 20-minute spell in the second half.

"We did what we needed to do and finished the game off nicely at the end."

Image source, gett

It was a lively first half between England and Croatia as Zlatko Dalic's side twice came back from behind to go into half-time level.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel called that first half "complicated," but "loved the reaction" his side gave after the break.

And the half-time team talk seemed to have an almost immediate impact as Jude Bellingham scored within two minutes of the restart to put England 3-2 ahead.

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Tuchel will be delighted at starting the World Cup with a victory, so vital for confidence at any major tournament.

He will, however, know there is work to do despite an impressive win and a scoreline that was a fair reflection of their superiority, especially in the second half.

England were potent in attack, particularly for a spell after the break when Jude Bellingham scored and Croatia somehow held out during a period of intense pressure.

Harry Kane joined Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in making an early pitch for the Golden Boot, while Bellingham gave a powerhouse display he embellished with a fine goal.

It was in defence, however, where Tuchel will feel there must be improvements as Croatia scored two goals that could have been avoided.

In the end, though, it was the three points that mattered and England fully merited their win.

How are we all doing? A little sleepy after a late night? Or is the adrenaline of that England performance enough to keep you going this morning?

England have been accused of playing with the handbrake on in recent years, but there was no sign of that against Croatia.

It was football on the edge and England's followers, judging by their reaction at the final whistle and afterwards, loved it.

Let us know what you made of England's opening game - the positives and any negatives - using the form at the top of the page.

Before we dive into all things England, there were three other games on matchday seven:

• Portugal 1-1 Congo DR
• Ghana 1-0 Panama
• Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia

Thomas Tuchel's England demonstrated strength in attack and frailty in defence, but possessed the firepower to finally overcome Croatia and set the platform for progress in Group L.

Grab yourself a brew/coffee and watch the highlights below.

England scored four and it could have easily been more in the second half if it wasn't for the valiant efforts of Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic.

Here's all four of the goals ...

Good morning!

England got their World Cup campaign underway in style with a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia last night.

It was good, wasn't it?

Image source, Getty Images