One of the most exciting games in the first week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was England beating Croatia on Wednesday. Harry Kane scored a brace to help the Three Lions earn a 4-2 win.
England has the third-best odds to win the World Cup, as per USA Today. They are expected to top Group L ahead of Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
However, they are not safe from trash talk, with Fox Sports’ pundit and Premier League champion Kasper Schmeichel taking shots at England.
Kasper Schmeichel Compares England To Dallas Cowboys
GettyJude Bellingham #10 of England celebrates with Harry Kane #9 after scoring the team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
With England’s match against Croatia taking place inside the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Kasper Schmeichel can’t help himself but compare the Three Lions to the Dallas Cowboys.
Schmeichel pointed out the fact that England haven’t won a World Cup since 1966, while the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl title was in 1995, yet they can’t stop talking about winning despite the droughts.
“We’re in the Dallas Cowboys stadium,” Schmeichel said, via Awful Announcing. “I liken England a little bit to the Dallas Cowboys – a massive, massive team with so much talent, but they won it once and they’ve never stopped talking about it. Just putting that out there. Maybe today’s the day it changes, I don’t know.”
The Cowboys are nicknamed “America’s Team” due to their popularity. However, they have not been back to the Super Bowl since winning it in 1996.
England’s win in 1966 was their lone appearance in the World Cup final. They have not been back, and the closest they have been was in 2018, when they finished in fourth place.
Harry Kane on What Thomas Tuchel Told Them At Halftime
GettyHarry Kane #9 of England celebrates his second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17, 2026 in Dallas, United States.
Harry Kane put England ahead 1-0 at the 12th minute by scoring a penalty. Croatia tied the game in the 36th minute following an equalizer from Martin Baturina. Kane put the Three Lions back in the lead six minutes later before conceding another goal to Peter Musa before the halftime whistle.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Kane revealed what Thomas Tuchel said to them at halftime.
“He just told us to let the shackles off,” Kane said, via Associated Press. “The way we conceded that second goal is not the team we want to be. He finally just said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? We lose the match, first group game, we get on with it.’ We move on. Just go and kind of show the world who we can be.”
Jude Bellingham put England back on top two minutes into the second half, with Marcus Rashford finishing things off at the 87th minute.
For his two goals in the first half, Kane was named Man of the Match against Croatia. They are back in action on June 23 against Ghana at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
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