Jude Bellingham opened England’s World Cup campaign with a decisive display, scoring in a 4-2 win over Croatia in Group L. The Real Madrid midfielder struck early in the second half in Dallas, restoring England’s lead after Croatia twice drew level before the break. Marcus Rashford came on and added a late fourth as England increased the tempo after half-time.

Bellingham’s goal arrived during a strong spell after the interval, when England imposed control that had been missing earlier. Croatia had exposed defensive gaps in the first half, but the response after the restart was far more composed. The victory gave England three points and an early edge in a group that had been expected to be competitive.

By starting against Croatia, Bellingham became the youngest European player to appear at four major tournaments, at 22 years and 353 days. Those events include both the Euros and World Cups. Bellingham is also one of only five European players to score in each of the last three major tournaments, and the youngest of that select group.

The midfielder’s scoring record for England is already striking at this level. Bellingham has seven international goals, and four of them have arrived at major tournaments. That figure means 57% of Bellingham’s England goals have come on the biggest stages, the highest ratio for any player with at least five goals for the Three Lions.

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Off the pitch, debate around Bellingham’s role has been constant since qualifying. Thomas Tuchel and Bellingham did not seem fully aligned during England’s route to this World Cup, and there were strong arguments that Morgan Rogers should start behind Harry Kane. Despite that discussion, Bellingham kept the starting berth in Dallas and delivered a key contribution.

“Personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and show my country, show my team-mates how committed I am to helping us win football matches,” Bellingham told BBC Sport. “I think it was a great team performance [in the] second half. First half, we still got the intensity right, but with the ball it wasn’t quite there and [in the] second half I think we put it all together nicely. To contribute to help my team, help my country is one of the biggest honours, regardless of the noise outside, that honour doesn’t change for me. It’s been a tougher season for me. I feel fresh and sharp and strong and ready to give everything I have.”