This was an England we haven't seen for years - and it was fun

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Highlights: A six goal thriller ends England 4-2 Croatia By Phil McNulty Chief football writer in Dallas Published 3 hours ago England's fans were carried out of the magnificent Dallas Stadium into the warm night air on a carpet of exhilaration after Thomas Tuchel's side delivered a powerful statement of intent. Harry Kane told his England team-mates to be "free in the mind" and embrace the pressures the World Cup brings – and they took him at his word for good and bad. England's opening 4-2 win against Croatia was a mixture of thrilling attacking football and worrying defensive frailty, but the smiles on the faces of supporters making their way away from this vast arena told another story. This was, whisper it, fun. England have been a hard watch for much of the recent era, even when reaching the Euro 2024 final and World Cup quarter-final in Qatar four years ago. Those two tournaments were dry fare, despite England progressing deep into them only to eventually fall short. Sir Gareth Southgate's excellent record showed the ends justified much of the means, but it was rarely done in a style that moved you towards the edge of of your seat. Not here. Dull this was not - although admittedly not always in a way Tuchel would have enjoyed. This was a game you could not turn your gaze away from for a second, whether it was watching the cold fury of Tuchel in the first half, then an attacking siege in the second half which led to England's head coach falling into the arms of countryman Jurgen Klopp in the aftermath when he spotted him on the touchline working as a TV pundit. It was football on the edge and England's followers, judging by their reaction at the final whistle and afterwards, loved it. 'Chip on shoulder' may help Bellingham to best form Published 3 hours ago 'If we lose, we lose in our way' - what Tuchel said at half-time Published 4 hours ago I knew stuttered run-up might get keeper off line - Kane Published 7 hours ago Whether they will love it if England defend so poorly against better opposition is another matter. The thought of world-class strikers being faced with the sort of slipshod defence we saw in Dallas, especially in the first half, will be a very sobering takeaway for Tuchel, who will know it was simply not good enough. The selection of Ezri Konsa ahead of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was contentious. It is a debate that will continue as Aston Villa's defender did not make a compelling case for his continued inclusion. Tuchel could barely disguise his displeasure as England led twice through captain Kane, who equalled Gary Lineker's World Cup record of 10 goals for his country, only for poor defending to allow the ever-dangerous Croatia back into the game. Whatever Tuchel said, and it was unlikely to have been pleasantries, was the catalyst for an outstanding attacking display which saw Jude Bellingham restore